Paw Prints and Chicken Scratches
by myheartsegg
Summary: A collection of drabble Animal!AUs (anthro or not, it will be stated) that will not be updated regularly (pfft, but since when do I ever do regular?). If I have inspiration or writer's block, this will be a good little place to put wandering ideas. Full of wholesome Hidashi - platonic and shippy.
1. Paw Print 01 – Scent Marks

I'll return to **Once Again Is Not The Same As Another Chance **(Or Once-Chance, since the name is too long), I promise. Just... let me work out the writer's block. For now, have disgustingly fluffy Hidashi.

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><p><strong>Paw Print 01 – Scent Marks<strong>

**Cat!Hidashi**

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><p>Hiro awoke to the sound of his brother purring and a tongue licking a long stripe up his spine. With a shudder, the younger Hamada uncurled and stretched, a contented yawn leaving him.<p>

"Mornin' Hiro," Tadashi murmured into his fur, licking at the base of his younger brother's head. Hiro giggled when Tadashi nuzzled the back of his ear, the appendage flicking nervously at the ticklish feeling of Tadashi's whiskers brushing against the sensitive tips. "Turn over for me?"

"Morning 'Dashi," Hiro purred. The smaller black cat rolled onto his back, exposing his stomach.

Tadashi took the switch of positions in stride, licking at Hiro's chest and moving up to his face soon after.

"_Ew,_" Hiro mumbled as his brother lapped at his nose and mouth. A rumble of laughter vibrated through Tadashi and buzzed pleasantly through Hiro wherever their bodies touched.

The younger Hamada pressed his wet nose into the other's cheek, nuzzling the sensitive spot by the whiskers before burying his face into the sleek black fur of his brother's neck.

Hiro _loved_ Saturday afternoons. It was the day when Tadashi would – literally – lather him with attention. There was so much to look forward to: the cat nap in the sun, the following tongue bath Tadashi gave him after they woke up, and a full day of warm cuddling.

Saturday was Hiro's favourite day.

"There, done," Tadashi said in a tone of satisfaction.

Hiro's ears drooped a little. That bath had been too fast for his liking. "Are you sure you didn't miss any spots?" he asked his brother quizzically.

Tadashi shook his head and huffed amusedly. "I ran over every inch of you. You're as clean as a newborn kitten."

The smaller cat pouted. So much for prolonging Tadashi's showering of attention.

Getting up onto all fours, Hiro shook his body out, fluffing up his fur back into its original state. After stretching his stiff muscles, Hiro curled back into a ball, ready to take another nap.

"Ah, Hiro, don't go back to sleep-" The younger Hamada opened one eye to look at his brother. "You don't have a scent on you yet," Tadashi explained.

Hiro lifted his head and blinked. Burying his head into his shoulder, the younger took a sniff, noticing that most of his natural scent had been washed off.

"Oh," he stated lamely. "It's alright. It'll come back," Hiro protested, completely missing what his brother had meant.

Tadashi chuckled. "Not yours bonehead, _mine_."

Hiro felt heat flush through his system pleasantly with the way Tadashi had growled out the last part.

"You're gonna scent mark me?" Hiro asked almost excitedly.

Tadashi's response was to rub his cheek against his brother's and mumble, "What does it look like?"

Hiro laughed and rolled onto his back once again. The younger Hamada spread his paws out, as if asking for the humans' equivalent of '_hug?'_

Tadashi easily slid in between the four outstretched limbs, larger body practically covering his younger brother's. The older black cat wasted no time in rubbing his cheeks into Hiro's face, making sure his scent was thoroughly scrubbed into his brother's fur.

Hiro's body vibrated underneath him with the force of his purrs and Tadashi returned the gesture, purring loudly as he rubbed his scent all over Hiro's head, neck, and chest area.

Tadashi was so caught up in marking what was _his_, that he almost didn't hear the muffled meow. The older Hamada pulled back to let Hiro speak clearly.

"Me too," his brother mumbled, pressing his nose over where Tadashi's scent gland was and inhaling his musk. The rest of Hiro's sentence dissolved into mutters and broken purrs.

Tadashi licked at the younger's brow and made a questioning sound.

"I want to scent mark you too," came the answer, clearly this time.

A Cheshire's grin pulled at Tadashi's face. His only response to the declaration was to resume his mission to make Hiro smell completely like him.

Tadashi didn't mind. Hiro wanted to mark him as his? That was fine with him.

It was just the two of them anyway. It always had been - and always would be.

Just the two of them, loving and belonging to one another.

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><p>Sorry for the OOC - I just never learn from my mistakes. My data was erased again (<em>It was way better than this, you have to believe me!<em>), and I've just given up hope for ever writing in the Doc Manager on FF ever again. So, that being said, GO MICROSOFT WORD, I CHOOSE YOU!


	2. Wings 01 - Caged

**Wings 01 – Caged**

**BirdHybrids!Hidashi, Anthro**

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><p>"Ladies and gentlemen! Good evening; I am Henry Matsuoshita, your auctioneer for tonight's grand event at San Fransokyo's largest illegal auctioning stage, the Silent Sparrow!"<p>

A round of applause lifted, and the auctioneer squinted into the dark to see that the previously abandoned warehouse was packed to the brim. A smirk pulled dangerously at the corners of his smile. More people, more money.

"_Saa, hajimeyouka!_" He said in Japanese, following his signature line. Henry lifted his crested cane and tapped it twice on the stage before swinging it to the side in a large arc. "_Let's starting!_"

For a majority of the night, people had given their bets and Henry was making a lot of good money. An evil sneer crossed his face for a brief moment as he turned away from the crowd. _They haven't even **seen** tonight's main attraction! I'm making big bucks here!_

"And finally, ladies and gentlemen, is our last attraction for this event – our finest species! Originally, they were thought to be extinct for a hundred years. However!" the auctioneer said, lifting a silencing finger. "That is not the case!"

A murmur ran through the crowd, a hum of excitement rising as Matsuoshita placed his hand on the cloth covering the cage.

"These are the last known anthropomorphic avians to _ever_ exist! I introduce you to... _The Hamada Brothers_!"

With a grand show of yanking off the black cloth, the auctioneer revealed a golden-barred bird cage as large as a small shack. A cheer rose up from the gathered persons, but they soon quieted down to a confused muttering.

Eyebrows pulling low, Henry looked to his right to see what was so confusing.

Lying still and unmoving, was a mass of obsidian feathers and a coal-black lump lying side-by-side. Matsuoshita's face burned red. "Stupid beasts," he hissed between gritted teeth. Turning back to the crowd, he pulled on a pleasant face. "Their species are very shy, and will need some prompting to get them to... _play_."

Henry hit his cane against the bars, a metallic ringing filling the air and making people cringe. There was no sign of movement from inside.

Allowing a sneer to pull at his lips, the auctioneer lifted his cane and slid it through the bars, prodding at the obsidian mass of feathers. It didn't move. Henry's sneer turned into a downright scowl. He knew what would get the bigger one to move.

Walking around to the other side of the cage, Henry slipped the cane in with practiced ease, harshly jabbing the blunt edge of his staff into the smaller lump's side.

A loud, indignant squawk left the mass of coal-black feathers and Matsuoshita grinned. That was all that was needed for the larger lump to shift. _One more time_, Henry thought to himself, drawing back his arm to deliver a harsher jab than the previous one.

Before he could actually touch the younger Hamada, a flare of large, sleek black wings rattled the cage. The tips of the appendages extended through the bars and stretched on for another good few inches - and that was with the main body still curled up on the floor of the birdcage.

The wings withdrew and beat against the enclosure, finally settling around the smaller figure. A shriek left the newly morphed lump, a sound of pure fury making the audience shudder.

Henry grinned salaciously back at the stunned crowd. "Let's start the biding at a hundred thousand, shall we?"

Not a second later, the abandoned warehouse bursted into a frenzy of raised arms and shouted prices.

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><p>AN: Anyone have any prompts? So far I have a few ideas, but after that, I've got nil... (Also... I can't draw... anyone wanna do fanart? I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little down lately...)


	3. Ears and Tail 01 - Recharge

Nope... Still got that writer's block. (Welp, this turned out to be as long as a one-shot...)

VERY SHIPPY NEAR THE END HEHEHE

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><p><strong>Ears and Tail 01 - Recharge<strong>

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

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><p>Tadashi Hamada was tired. Really, really, <em>really<em> tired.

"I'm home," he called listlessly, ignoring his Aunt Cass' cheerful call of '_Welcome back!_' and trudging up the stairs on heavy feet.

The older Hamada cleared the flight of stairs up to the attic-turned-bedroom-loft with a soft groan, his hand instinctively coming up to remove his cap and ruffle his hair up a bit so that his sore ears could breathe. Unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, he maneuvered his tail until it was free - no longer wrapped around his left leg down to his ankle - and breathed in relief.

It was hard hiding the fact that you were a hybrid; They weren't exactly the majority of the population in San Fransokyo, and were therefore not exactly looked at on a pedestal the same height as the others.

Tadashi sighed heavily. He was still tired.

Managing to drag his feet over to the computer seat in the corner of the room, Tadashi flopped forward over the backing.

" 'M home Hiro," he mumbled into the other's hair.

His younger's brother's ear flickered atop his head and brushed against Tadashi's cheek, signalling he had heard him.

"Welcome home Tadashi," Hiro muttered distractedly, hands flying over the keyboard in front of him and manipulating a 2D character with ease.

The older Hamada hummed, rubbing his face into Hiro's wild mane of hair, liking the untouched scent of his brother. "What're you doing?" he asked after a minute of nuzzling and comforting silence.

"Trying to beat this guy's last high score. He managed to beat my previous one by two points. _Two points!"_ Hiro stressed with a lift of his shoulders.

Tadashi chuckled and stood up straight, bringing his hands up and stretching until he heard a satisfying pop. He let out a sound of content and twisted until the rest of his back made a series of loud cracks. Tadashi groaned.

Oh, that felt good.

After he was done letting out the tension in his body, the older Hamada rolled his neck and used one of his hands to rub at a sore shoulder. "I'm going to go take a shower," he said as he riffled through his drawers for a set of loose clothes and trudged towards their shared bathroom.

Hiro's distant, "Yeah, sure," was the last thing he heard before he closed the door to the bathroom.

After a quick hot shower, Tadashi had to agree with himself that he felt a little better. More... _refreshed _without the smell of humans clinging to his skin. But there was still something that was missing...

Tadashi entered his and Hiro's loft to his little brother's scream of "YES! YES, I DID IT! I BEAT YOU, HAH! SUCK IT!"

Tadashi frowned, but couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips. "Hiro, language," he warned mildly.

"Never mind that, I beat that guy's high score by a mile! I got almost four hundred more than his previous record! Now he won't be catching up anytime soon! Mwa hahaha!"

Hiro laughed maniacally and leapt from his chair, bouncing up to Tadashi for a fistbump. The elder of the two shook his head in fond exasperation and lightly tapped his fist against his brother's.

"Whatever you say," Tadashi mused as he lifted his hand to briefly ruffle his brother's hair - immediately earning him swats to the offending limb and a grumble of '_You know I'm sensitive there._"

The older Hamada chuckled and sidestepped his little brother to flop face first into the mass of pillows sitting innocently at the head of the other's bed.

Inhaling the sweet scent of gummy bears and something uniquely _Hiro, _Tadashi felt his muscles relaxing just a bit. But something was still missing:

The scent wasn't strong enough.

A weight settled against his back and warmth seeped into Tadashi's skin at the areas of contact.

Hiro rested his head in the junction between his brother's shoulder blades and huffed, "What's up big bro? You got dumped or something? You're acting like a zombie, groaning everywhere and making dead noises."

Tadashi did just that, moaning his complaint into Hiro's pillow and making 'dead noises' to express how tired he was.

Hiro giggled slightly and squirmed until his nose was pressed to the back of Tadashi's neck. "What was that? You _know_ I don't speak pillow-talk."

Tadashi felt a shiver run down his spine when Hiro's warm breath ghosted over the skin of his spine, raising goosebumps in their wake. He made another vague noise. "Mmff-mm-hmm."

The teen's expression turned mischievous before he scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes. "I guess since you refuse to speak clearly, I'll just have to _make_ _you _turn around!"

The sound of Hiro drawing in a large breath was the only warning Tadashi got before a sloppy, wet raspberry was blown against the skin of his neck, an obscenely loud, _**PPPBBBFFFTTT**_ echoing around the room.

The elder jolted, twisting his body and hand coming up to the assaulted area. His tail was raised and puffed up. "Eeeww, Hiro!"

Hiro rolled onto his back, clutching his stomach as he howled with laughter. "Hahaha! That's what you get- hehe - when you- pfft- you- hahaha!"

The younger Hamada gave up trying to wheeze out words into a sentence, instead cackling evilly at the look on his brother's face.

"Why you..." Tadashi wiped the excess spit off the back of his neck and launched himself onto Hiro, swiftly pinning his younger brother's smaller body underneath him.

Hiro looked back up at him in surprise, laughter subsiding and eyes wide.

It was Tadashi's turn to snicker playfully. "Hey knucklehead, you forgot: I have _The Force_," he said, bringing the saliva covered hand closer to Hiro's face.

At first, Hiro raised an eyebrow and smirked up at him. "_The Force_? You're such a nerd, Tadashi."

But when the younger Hamada caught sight of the wet sheen covering his brother's palm, his smile dropped and he squirmed, tilting his head away as if the action could prevent the hand from coming any closer. "W-wait, 'Dashi, no."

"It's your own spit bro, nothing to be scared of," Tadashi teased. In one quick motion, he wiped his palm down the side of Hiro's cheek, the teen squeaking at the contact.

Tadashi chuckled and rolled off of his brother, relishing in the groan of disgust that came from Hiro.

"Aww, gross." Hiro wiped his sleeve over the wet spot on his face and scrunched up his nose at his brother, ears flattened against his head. "_You're_ gross."

The older Hamada smiled cheekily and reclined against the stack of pillows behind him, his tail splayed out and falling over the edge of the small bed. "Yeah? Who's the one who decided to give me a raspberry in the first place?"

Hiro grimaced. He knew a losing fight when he was in one. Instead, he decided to change the topic. "You didn't answer my question from before."

It took a few seconds for Tadashi to try and search through his memories to find the last string of conversation they had. When he pulled up with nothing, he gave his younger brother a helpless look to which Hiro sighed mock-tiredly.

"What's up with you? Why're you so- _uuggghh_?" Hiro said, hands coming up to pull down on his face, eyes rolling up like a zombie and voice imitating the way the other supposedly groaned.

Realization lit Tadashi's expression. The elder Hamada shrugged, his brow raised. "Nothing much, I guess. Just had a stressful day at school."

Hiro scoffed and leaned back on his hands at the edge of the bed. "What, college life finally getting to you?"

Tadashi smirked. "No, SFIT's not that bad, but you wouldn't know that, right Mr. Genius?"

The teen lifted a hand and flapped it, mouthing silent words while rolling his eyes. Tadashi sat up and flicked him, moving back into position so fast, it was like he hadn't even moved.

"Ow! What was that for?" Hiro groaned, holding a hand over the stinging area on his forehead. His tail twitched in annoyance.

"Respect your elders, Hiro," Tadashi smoothly replied, a smug smile on his lips.

The younger Hamada pouted petulantly. "Fine. Just tell me what happened at your stupid school."

His older brother's expression softened and he gave a nod. "I've been having a bad day. I woke up late-" Hiro snickered at the memory of that morning's Tadashi, frantic and frazzled, clothes hanging off of him weirdly and hair in a wild flurry around his head.

"-and then I forgot to eat something for breakfast, so I was hungry during all my morning classes. My stomach growled really loud during one of them actually - ugh, it was embarrassing."

Tadashi buried his face in his hands and Hiro smirked at the image of his brother as red as a tomato and stammering in class to try and explain why he was making hungry noises during a lecture.

"Then, when it came to break, I realized I forgot to bring Aunt Cass' packed lunch during the morning rush. Nor did I remember my wallet, so I didn't have money to buy food. And _then_, my college project decided it was good idea to _attack_ me."

This peaked Hiro's interest. His project _attacked_ him? Tadashi was a robotics major and a medical minor, so...

An image of a totally awesome battle bot - his brother's of course - flashed behind Hiro's eyes. But before he could question further on the subject, Tadashi continued.

"And even on the way home, I was struck with bad luck. Half way to the café, my moped broke down in the middle of an intersection and I had to walk the rest of the way home."

Tadashi sighed heavily and scrubbed his face with his hands. His tail was thrashing around, flicking back and forth in a show of true irritation. Hiro was silently impressed. He must have had a _really_ bad day.

'At least I'm home now though," the older Hamada sighed, flopping back down into his previous position and looking at the smaller with a hopeful expression.

Hiro knew what Tadashi wanted; he wanted a cuddle session. The elder was a real cuddler, and there were often times where Tadashi would come back from a stressful day and beg for hugs, roping Hiro into allowing him to snuggle the younger like a teddy bear to 'recharge'.

It was the younger Hamada's turn to sigh. It wasn't that Hiro disliked these cuddle sessions - it was just that sometimes, he found it a little... _Overwhelming._

The teen squinted at his brother, trying to see if there would be any leeway to get out of it this time. Sadly for him, Tadashi remained firm, looking at Hiro through his lashes and giving him his best 'puppy-dog' look.

Hiro rolled his eyes, but crawled into his brother's embrace anyway when Tadashi opened up his arms and made a beckoning motion with both hands. His brother had gone through a stressful day; he supposed Tadashi had earned himself this one. Besides, he was in a good enough mood after getting that high score to share some of his happiness.

Burying his face into Tadashi's chest, Hiro breathed in the mixed scents of laundry detergent, machine oil, and his brother's unique musk. Tilting his head up a bit, the teen nosed at the junction where Tadashi's ear and jaw met, loving how his brother's scent was stronger there. Without meaning to, a purr erupted from his chest.

Tadashi meanwhile, wrapped his arms securely around his brother, already rubbing his cheek against Hiro's downy-soft hair. He hummed in satisfaction.

This was what he had missed all day - The warmth of Hiro pressed up close to him, their mingling scents being rubbed off on each other and the sound of their contented purrs filling the silence of the room.

It was perfect - just what he needed.

Hiro dragged his nose down the column of his brother's neck, tracing the line of muscle and pausing to run his lips over the warm, smooth skin of Tadashi's exposed collar bone. The teen rubbed his face into the crook of the elder's neck, sparks flying down his spine and crawling back up to settle as a smoldering heat in his chest.

A sudden flare of pleasure raced to the ends of Hiro's fingers when Tadashi wrapped his tail around his own, the fuzzy tip tickling his calf a little ways underneath the hem of his shorts.

His brother's arms held him a little tighter, and Hiro wanted to whimper - cuddling with Tadashi always felt so _good_.

Tadashi's ears flickered when he heard a small noise come from his brother. It wasn't the outright sound which Tadashi was used to hearing when Hiro was completely pleased - it was the sound that Hiro made when he was trying to hold back.

The older Hamada's peaceful smile almost turned into a smirk; he finally had the chance to have Hiro make _that_ sound. Now he only needed a little push - a push that Tadashi knew exactly how to give.

Shifting his arms just the slightest bit, Tadashi placed his hands on the small of Hiro's back, rubbing calming circles into his brother's spine and slowly working his way up.

By the time he had reached the younger's shoulders, Hiro's purring was blaringly loud; the vibrations were so intense that the elder Hamada could feel it reverberating into his body and making the tips of his fingers and toes tingle.

When he finally worked his fingers over the back of Hiro's neck and into his hairline at the base of his skull, Hiro was practically putty in his hands.

A small spark of pride lit itself in Tadashi's chest. He was proud that he was the only one who would ever be able to get Hiro to relax so completely like this; he was the only one who could make his brother purr this loud, or melt to such a degree that he was basically a liquid rag doll.

He was the only one who could make Hiro this content.

Finally deciding that he had waited long enough, Tadashi made the finishing move and attacked Hiro's ears, the place where his brother was most sensitive.

The effect was immediate:

The younger Hamada's back arched and he pressed his body closer to Tadashi's, toes curling and fingers scrabbling to clutch desperately to the front of the elder's T-shirt.

Tadashi was nothing if not relentless though, and he slipped his fingers down to rub at the base of Hiro's ears, occasionally scratching the hyper-sensitive area with blunt nails.

The teen gasped, and his head fell to the side, eyes rolling back and lids falling shut as his lips parting just a bit to reveal that adorable tooth gap and-

Hiro positively _mewled_, the sound small, but loud and completely and utterly _adorable._

As soon as the sound was out, unfortunately, the smaller's eyes snapped open and he pressed a hand to his mouth, face flushing a deep red.

Tadashi laughed, bright and high while Hiro threw him a dirty look.

"As cute as a kitten," Tadashi got out between breathless laughter.

The younger Hamada threw a hard punch at his brother's shoulder, ignoring the way Tadashi winced at the force behind it.

"_Bonehead_," Hiro muttered under his breath.

Tadashi grinned at his brother, muttering a thanks. Hiro raised an eyebrow and Tadashi nodded back, answering the silent question with, "Recharge complete."

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><p>Ahhh, self-indulgence is important *winks* if you know what I mean ;)<p>

Egg-chan, out. *rolls away shamelessly*


	4. Fire and Death 01 – Busted

A sort of Midieval!AU where dragons are rare beasts that are both treasured for their hide and feared for their rampages of fire and death. Humans cannot understand dragons, but dragons can understand human speech; they just cannot communicate with them.

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><p><strong>Fire and Death 01 – Busted<strong>

**Dragon!Hidashi**

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><p>"Tadashi!" Hiro screamed through the muzzle painfully binding his snout; he thrashed against the ropes tying him down and the sharp spears poking at his scaled side. " 'Dashi, help!"<p>

The dragon youth redoubled his efforts when he saw one of the knights draw a sword, the metal gleaming wickedly when the sunlight that filtered through the thick underbrush caught its tip.

He had really blown it this time. Maybe pilfering through the second biggest castle in the kingdom in broad daylight just because he was bored out of his scales hadn't been a good idea. Well, not his worst, but certainly not his brightest either.

"Tada-" Hiro cut himself off and stilled when the knight - the leader it looked like - pressed the point of his broadsword to his throat. The dragon withheld a whimper. He would not be degraded here. If he really was going to die, he would die a child of fire and death until the end.

" 'Tis a good catch." The knight practically purred, shifting the end of his sword from Hiro's throat to underneath his chin, lifting the youth's head lest he be cut from the sharpened edge of metal. "The goddess of hunt has favoured us. Tonight we feast on dragon meat and clothe the poor with scales!"

A roar rose from the crowd of villagers and knights alike, and Hiro glared. They wanted to do _what_ now?

Being skinned for his flesh and roasted over a fire was ironic enough, but turning him into _clothes_? That was just low.

Fueled by his momentary indignation, Hiro slowly lifted his long tail, the hold on the ropes loose enough that it could hover a meter or so off the ground. He only had one shot - and with that, he'd make them regret they threw their hands up to cheer.

Quickly using his tail as a whip, he thrashed it towards the leader-guy, catching him across the chest. With a stunned grunt, he flew across the clearing, tumbling and bouncing in the flattened and scorched grass until he hit the thick trunk of an evergreen.

"Avidel!" the group of men yelled, watching in horror as their leader slumped with a final groan. Hiro snorted. The the man wasn't dead. In fact, they should have been thankful Hiro couldn't use his full strength with all those dead weights still attached to his weapon of choice.

The young dragon surveyed the damage he had done. There was a smattering of people moaning in pain from being flung around the meadow - the ones that either reacted too slow, or were too stupid to let go of the rope as he swung his tail - and the knight, Avidel. All in all, it looked like a good twenty of them were down.

So that was thirty- _forty_ more people left for him to escape from. A hiss left his lips. This was going to be hard without Tadashi around.

Why oh _why _did his older brother have to go to the millennial Volcan meeting? Sure it was an important gathering with the elders, but Tadashi was still young! Just because their parents used to be members of the council didn't mean they had to be too! It wasn't a hereditary thing, was it?

Hiro felt a growl vibrate low in his chest. Today was turning out to be a complete and utter bust.

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><p>A little something while I'm at school ;) I think I like this one - I'll probably continue it. :D<p> 


	5. Fire and Death 02 – Red-Tinted Rage

**HEADCANON!**

Dragons have the natural ability to "breathe fire", but to do so comes with the dragon's maturity. To form fire, dragons must first eat; the gas produced from their digestion is highly flammable, and can be stored in a large sack next to their stomachs. When they breath out this gas, they click their jaws (they have special teeth at the back - near the throat almost), which creates a spark and then ignites the gas into a fire.

To create a continuous stream of fire, a dragon must develop their diaphragm's strength to push against that sack by their stomachs. The older the dragon is, the stronger their muscles and digestion. Younger dragons do not have the ability to breathe fire, due to the fact that they have underdeveloped muscles in the required areas and their digestive systems are not strong enough to handle _all_ of that red meat they eat and turn it into the special gas.

This is also why occasionally, despite how Hiro whines about him being too old for it (though he's not) and _it_ being completely gross - Tadashi will hunt and come back to their nest to regurgitate food for him (*sobs* since their parents aren't there to do it for him).

Now we get to the Hamada bros: Tadashi is almost fully grown, though still young by dragon standards. He has wonderful control over his fire, and is regarded as a genius for his age.

Hiro, too, is hailed by the council of dragons as their brightest youngster, as he is able to form -albeit small - bursts of flames; whereas other dragons his age would only be able to produce smoke. Hiro also invented the idea of fireballs. He gathers the gas in his mouth, rolls it with his tongue, and the moment he clicks his jaws, he exhales/blows outwards to "shoot" the ignited ball of gas.

Truly a genius. Even in dragon form.

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><p><strong>Fire and Death 02 – Red-Tinted Rage<strong>

**Dragon!Hidashi**

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><p>"The <em>dragon,<em> men! Get the dragon! Tie it down, 'tis dangerous!" hissed the lieutenant. "Take the injured o'er to their horses and draw your swords; in honour of the hunt!"

The remaining knights that were standing in a stupor rushed to obey, taking to command as soon as they had another leader to follow. The group scattered to their assigned tasks.

_Like ants in a colony,_ Hiro thought derisively, once again lashing out with restricted limbs and wings and claws - anything to get him free. The small dragon let out an irritated roar between gritted fangs.

"S-Sir Revendale, Sir Avidel is unconscious!" a teen with wide forest-green eyes and hazelnut hair yelled, running up to the knight.

"Wake him, he has a score to settle with this beast! Hurt not his pride at such a crucial moment!"

"Y-yes sire!" The squire scrambled off, and Hiro strained against the rapidly ripping ropes, giving the poor kid a scare.

"Rope! Use more rope! Use it all if you have to!" Revendale commanded with a large sweep of his hand.

Soon, layer after layer of the infuriating material was twined around the smaller Hamada, squeezing and constricting tightly against his body. He couldn't breathe.

Summoning the heat he knew brewed in his gut, Hiro pooled lethal gas in his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue into a compressed ball. Letting loose a fireball probably wouldn't be the best idea, considering he had a muzzle on, but what could he do?

They were rapidly tying him down, and with his body movements confined, there were no other tricks in his bag except to at least _try_ the fire, even if he couldn't control it completely.

Hiro jerked his head, jaws snapping as he struggled to open his mouth. He needed to create a spark, but this stupid muzzle-! The dragon felt his hope draining out of him... Was this how his brother would find him? A carcass left to be picked on by the buzzards? No, they'd probably take his body for food and clothing.

_Look at it from another angle; use that big brain of yours! _his brother's low rumble of a voice echoed in his mind.

An idea flashed for only a second in Hiro's head, but that was all he needed to get his brain to kickstart. Possibilities and the scale of pros and cons weighed back and forth. Could he do it? Would it melt?

It was definitely worth a try.

Swallowing down the gas-ball he had summoned (he wouldn't be able to fire it like this anyway - unless he wanted an explosion inside his mouth), Hiro felt his stomach convulse, the food inside sloshing and tumbling.

He inhaled through his nose, filling his lungs with oxygen. In a large exhale, steam lifted through his nostrils, the acrid smell heavy and sharp. He'd seen Tadashi do this tons of times, he just needed to... _A little more-_

With a wet heave, Hiro felt his lunch come back up and coat his tongue with bile. The dragon wanted to grimace, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Quickly sucking his stomach in and tightening his diaphragm, Hiro called on his gas again, rolling the contents in his mouth and making a sort of flammable - or what he _hoped _was flammable - liquid.

Hiro slid the protective film over his eyes - this wasn't going to be pretty, but loosing his lunch wouldn't be too bad if it meant that he had gained a little bit of freedom.

Using what dwindling strength remained, the little black dragon thrashed his head around until the peoples' hold on the ropes around his snout loosened. With the newly gained space, Hiro clicked his jaw, igniting the gas and the bile in his mouth.

As he had been expecting, the knights soon recovered, swiftly getting into position again and pulling forcefully on the ropes.

But Hiro was prepared. Pulling back his lips from around his fangs, the dragon let the burning liquid-bile drip onto the ropes surrounding his mouth and down his neck, relishing in the sound of sizzling and the small snaps of horse-hair rope burning.

With a final crack, the ropes around his head and neck fell away, burned and eroded into frayed strings. Hiro lifted his head in triumph, roaring loud and shrill. _I did it! I melted the rope! I just made another new technique; oh my gosh, I have to show Tadashi-_

His victory didn't last long. The voice of his original captor rang out across the meadow, pained but clear. "Restrain the damned dragon! As it did to our kingdom, we shall trade brick for scale and tooth for nail! We will tear this beast down!"

Hiro almost wanted to roll his eyes. Humans always had to be so dramatic. All he had done was eat a few of their older cows and knocked over a building and/or roof once in a while. It wasn't like he had gone around scorching everything. I mean, the most he could do was blow small bursts of fire. He couldn't exactly let out a stream of fire yet; he was still too young-

"AYE!"

The combined voices of the men surrounding him broke Hiro out of his excitement, once more making anxiety bubble uncomfortably in his gut. Suddenly, the weight of a dozen grown men on either side of him pressed down. The younger Hamada felt as if he was slowly being buried under a mountain.

Just as Hiro was about to swing his head around to rip at the ropes binding his body, the dragon yelped in shock when he felt spear heads and sword tips being prodded underneath his scales, slicing at the tender flesh of his hide. Hiro growled and snapped at the offending weapons, tearing them away and crushing them in his jaws when they came within his reach.

The men shouted profanities at him, but Hiro snarled back, teeth bared.

Where was Tadashi when you needed him? He should have been home by sunrise!

Hiro was blindsided by a flare of pain shooting through his skull, the blunt impact of something solid bringing him down. The dragon youth rolled onto his side and lay in a daze, ears ringing and eyes seeing double.

Through his swimming vision, the black dragon could see- _was that a catapult? _Someone had shot at him using a freaking _boulder?_

The pounding in his temples shut off further complaints.

Two blurred figures dressed in glinting metal armor stalked up to him, the shapes and sounds of swords being drawn from their scabbards making itself clear even through the haze that fell over Hiro's mind like a blanket. The younger Hamada's pupils constricted, and he released a terrified yip - a sound he hadn't made in years.

Crap. They were coming for him.

Hiro drew in a short, hurried breath - this would be his last chance. "HELP!" he screeched, praying someone- anyone would hear him. "HELP! HElp..."

His voice quieted with a choke when the first person - he assumed it was Avidel - placed the tip of his broadsword to the little dragon's throat; the threat on his life was clear with the way it dug into his scales. The second - Revendale - placed his weapon to the dragon's exposed underside, cold metal biting into the much softer flesh.

Hiro held his breath. This was it - it was game over. No one would save him. Not even Tadashi.

All remaining hope fled his body at the thought and the black dragon let his body go lax, readying himself to die at these peoples' hand. He'd had a good run; Hiro just wished he could have said a goodbye to his brother...

Avidel raised his sword, the tempered steel letting off a menacing shine. Hiro leered at the weapon as it hung dramatically, waiting for his end. When he saw the man's hand twitch in preparation to make the final move, he closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

But it never came.

"-Wait...! Please, wait!" a voice called out, disrupting the once almost reverent silence. Hiro could hear another voice hiss after the first, "_Come back here!_"

There was a shuffle of cloth and scuffling feet, prompting Hiro to peek through his lids. Pupils dilating to adjust to the light of midday, his vision went from unfocused to slightly less blurry.

What he saw in front of him made no sense.

It was the squire, standing directly before his head - feet so close, Hiro's snout could touch the other's boots if he shifted a little. He was in front of the knight, arms raised in defence and... _shielding_ Hiro?

"Move _boy,_" Hiro heard the knight growl impatiently under his breath.

"U-uh, nope. No, I- I can't do that," the squire said quietly, tacking the 'Sire' at the end, if only by habit.

"And why not?" Avidel's voice sounded absolutely stormy.

The whispering voice he had heard earlier came closer, becoming louder and more urgent. It was female. "_Are you out of you **mind**? Don't do this! You're giving your future up for a **dragon!**_" The way she hissed the last word through her teeth made Hiro think she either really had something against his kin, or was just regularly cross with the squire.

The boy took in a shaky, noisy breath - intimidated from getting hustled on either side - and made a vague hand motion towards Hiro's fallen form. "Haven't you looked at it? It's scared."

Revendale scoffed, the tip of his broadsword momentarily pulled away from Hiro's belly. " 'Tis not possible. Dragons have no such things as emo-"

A dark shadow abruptly swept into Hiro's peripherals, the size of it so large it momentarily blocked out the sun before passing over the clearing with a violent whoosh of air. The meadow went silent.

They all waited for a few minutes, the soldiers crouched low lest the shadow had decided to come back - or worse, had spotted them. The breeze settled, but the atmosphere did not. It was tense and wary.

In that time, Hiro's had gained back his vision and hearing - but his body felt heavy; most likely the toll of struggling, giving up his lunch and being stoned (with a freaking boulder) catching up with him.

But not too far off, a roar rumbled through the mountains and the young dragon's hope rekindled. This could be his lucky break! Maybe...! Hiro barely dared to believe. He was hearing it, right?

A few seconds later, another echo of a growl reached Hiro's ears. It was another dragon; he wasn't delirious!

Instinctively, Hiro tipped his head back and wailed in calling, the high pitch of it the unique warbling-shriek that signaled the sound of a hatchling in distress. The small coal-black dragon called and called, chest heaving against his bindings. The youth only cut off his cry when the ghost of his name broke through the frantic obscurity of fear and hope.

Lifting searching orbs to the skies, the younger dragon prayed. _Please be Tadashi, please be Tadashi, please be... _He waited.

"_Hiro!_" -came Tadashi's distant roar of distress.

Hiro's heart skipped a few beats, palpitated, and then pounded hard. "Tadashi! Help! Please, it hurts!" he yelped, tone beyond desperate. He wanted to get away from here; didn't want to see another human for another century maybe. He wanted to fly far away from this place and find a high, jagged cave to hide in and possibly never come out of.

Suddenly, an ear-shattering screech split the air - powerful and feral, and very _very _angry.

"_HIRO!_"

His name was bellowed from the clouds, and never before did the little dragon love his brother's voice as much as he did in that moment. Tadashi's figure broke through the clouds, his sleek obsidian-scaled body descending claws-first and wings spread wide to catch air.

The sight of his brother - powerful, mighty, _deadly_ - was breathtaking, leaving Hiro in stunned awe.

Apparently the humans didn't share his sentiment, as the cowardly ones scattered like cockroaches. They ran here and there into the trees, their horses braying with fright. The knights that were brave (or stupid) enough stood their ground, stiffly shuffling away when the elder of the two lighted down.

"Hiro, are you okay?" Tadashi asked him hurriedly, beating his wings and digging his claws into the soft earth for purchase.

The lingering feeling of helplessness left him at his brother's presence, thawing his fear-frozen heart and melting it in warmth. Yes, he _was_ okay. Tadashi was here now and Hiro was safe.

"Hiro?" his brother called, voice shaken and sounding like he was preparing for the worst.

A sly thought sprang to life behind the smaller's eyes, forcing the younger Hamada not to grin as he shifted slightly, showing his older brother the blood seeping from between his scales. He cried out to his brother wordlessly, weak and helpless squeaks lifting from the shallow part of his diaphragm and leaving his throat.

An expression of abstract terror - on Hiro's account - flit across his brother's face, and Hiro bit into his tongue, forcing crystalline tears to pool at the rim of his eyelids. When he blinked them, the tears fell, cascading down his snout and finally solidifying into saline gems that fell to the ground with a soft tinkling sound.

"_Nii,_" Hiro whispered, voice trembling and watery. His body shook and stuttered, and he decided to seal the deal. Laying his head on the grass, Hiro looked up at his brother, pupils widening to take in more light and effectively creating his signature "puppy-dog eyes". He whimpered.

A full body shudder ran down Tadashi's spine, his muscles visibly tensing and wings flaring.

The little devil fought down a smirk. Now to put the cherry on top of the whole thing... The younger Hamada sniffled, a small and frightened, "_Help me... Nii-chan,_" falling past his pouting lips.

Hiro only had a moment to send the petrified knights a smug look and relish in the sharp tangy scent of fear before his attention was pulled away to gaze admiringly at the way his brother's pupils contracted - his normally soft brown eyes slitting and turning that loving, beautiful golden-brown into a frightening display of red-orange-red.

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><p>Oops! This chapter turned out way cheesier than I expected (And a bit grosser - but eh, this is what happens when you binge-watch DiscoveryChannel).<p>

**Bonus cookies to you sweetlings if you can guess some of the characters I borrowed. :D**

BTW, DISCLAIMER ON THEM huehuehue *thumbs up* d(e u e)


	6. Fire and Death 03 - Fire Fit

**HEADCANON!**

Dragons - usually (though not restricted to) parents with a new clutch - may work themselves into a 'Fire Fit' when their eggs or offspring are threatened. When this happens, they seem to lose all reason and will scorch and tear at anything and everything they see that moves.

Their eyes will - as Hiro had put it, turn "red-orange-red". This is the cause of extra blood flow to their eyes, creating a sort of special filter which enables the dragon to detect movement better, and to react faster to eliminate any threats at the slightest shift. If you so much as twitch a muscle? You're roast (human) beef.

When this happens, the hatchlings will instinctively pick up and react to a scent that the dragon parent(s) releases - a special pheromone that makes them freeze up. This is a built-in defense mechanism that prevents the parents from killing its own offspring while in their blind rage.

The pheromone sends the body into a sort of deadlock, where the brain sends a message to all the muscles in the body to prepare itself to stiffen (therefore the urge to relax in a sturdy position - usually a ball or a stance with their center of gravity close to the ground and appendages tucked in) before the brain stops sending out electrical impulses to every part of the body except for the vital organs.

When frozen, the dragon hatchlings' heartbeat is slowed dramatically, and their breathing is brought down to once a minute, where usually they would have taken eight breaths in that time (the average human, when resting, breathes 12-20 times per minute). This ensures that the minuscule movement of their diaphragm expanding and contracting does not attract the attention of their guardian before the threat is dealt with.

(All this gives the appearance that the hatchlings were 'paused'. However, the whole process can be avoided by holding one's breath and not inhaling the pheromones - doing this is not recommended and not widely known. After all, not many hatchlings can stay still long enough to tell the tale.)

There is also a reverse pheromone that will 'unfreeze' the hatchling when the guardian's Fire Fit is over and they are sufficiently calmed.

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><p>I'm having too much fun with this AU...<p>

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><p><strong>Fire and Death 03 - Fire Fit<strong>

**Dragon!Hidashi**

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><p>Hiro hid a flinch when Tadashi let loose a bone-rattling roar, wings flaring and eyes blazing.<p>

Seeing his older brother in a Fire Fit was both scary and exhilarating, as it was every time.

It sent chills down Hiro's spine, seeing the way his brother's head would rear back and his jaw could click menacingly as he ignited his flames, the fire dancing elegantly with the way he would beat his wings to feed the burning gas with oxygen, then cull it with the carbon dioxide he breathed out through pursed lips and gritted teeth.

It was frightening - even to Hiro, who was supposed to be null against Tadashi's fury. Instead, the little Hamada struggled against the instinct to raise his hackles and lie flat on his stomach, touching his belly to the ground and submitting to Tadashi; those were his teenage hormones talking. But a stronger, more pressing instinct told him to relax, find a stable, comfortable position and breathe deeply. This was the instinct of a hatchling responding to its parent in a Fit.

Hiro wasn't stupid - not even remotely so. He could make good, conscious, independent decisions: he could either breathe in the pheromone that his brother was releasing - letting it freeze him up and ensure his safety, _or_ he could hold his breath and watch as his older brother decimated the people who had threatened him, meanwhile risking his own life at the hands of his brother should he move even a muscle.

The younger Hamada scoffed. He wasn't stupid. No; he was a _daredevil_. He knew what he was doing. This wasn't the first time Tadashi had entered a Fire Fit because of him, and the mischievous dragon knew all the tricks to staying still and playing dead. (Despite his appearances as a hyperactive kid, he could accomplish many things through sheer determination and will alone.)

Breathing shallowly, Hiro took in as much fresh air as he could and closed his nostrils.

The little dragon watched with barely hidden amusement as Tadashi sunk his claws into horses and humans alike, roasting anything in his grasp with a shot of intense yellow-white fire. As the older Hamada ripped through the clearing and anything daring to even breathe the wrong way, Hiro estimated the time it would take for his older brother to finish off the remaining knights. It probably wouldn't take any longer than ten minutes. His lungs could hold till then.

The coal-black dragon was so immersed in watching his brother destroy that he didn't even notice his restraints being cut into until the sound of the main rope snapping caught his attention and his wings unfurled from their cramped position. With the central binding gone, Hiro felt the pressure on his lungs decrease. He could hold his breath for a good twenty minutes now.

Harried whispers and almost-but-not-quite yells caught his attention.

_"Haddock, what do you think you're _doing_?! We need to get out of here!"_

_"I know, I know, but this guy needs to be freed! Go on without me, I'll catch up."_

_"His mother is here, and in a _Fire Fit_ for Thor's sake! He _will _be freed. Now c'mon!"_

In a risky move, Hiro shifted his head the tiniest bit to observe what was going on behind him when Tadashi looked in the opposite direction from them, unconsciously shifting Hiro into his blind spot.

The sight that greeted him wasn't even shocking anymore.

It was the little squire - furiously working at the thick horse-hair ropes with a small hunting knife. The boy's face was taught with fear and something else the dragon couldn't decipher as he sawed and then hacked at the twined restraints encircling Hiro.

The girl was there beside the brunet, yanking at his clothes and hands feverishly, but the boy was surprisingly resilient and stubborn - despite having the look and demeanor of a pushover.

This piqued Hiro's interest. This human was different from the others. He was willing to spare a dragon's life, even when it seemed he was on the other side of their species' war. Very intriguing.

The last rope on Hiro's body - the one around his neck - snapped, falling limply to the ground. The dragon would have sighed in relief if he could, but even doing that was a risk.

The brunet- no, _Haddock, _skittered back, looking up into his eyes as if expecting him to attack. Hiro just stared back at the boy, the gears in his brain churning rapidly. There was something about him... Something that Hiro, even at his young age as a dragon, could see in the skinny little squire... It was _greatness_. He may have been lanky and wimpy-looking now, but Hiro could see that this boy's mind worked differently from the old men's.

Haddock would bring change - change for the better. He had many things to look up to.

Hiro's nostrils flared as he took in the squire's scent and memorized it, categorizing it in a mental alcove for later on. He would return the human's kindness when he had the chance.

With deliberate slowness, Hiro blinked and slid his eyes surreptitiously to the side to get a glance at his brother.

Tadashi was burning part of the forest now, flushing out and crushing anything that fled into view. Deer, squirrels, birds, horses and men alike scrambled away from the heat, only to be met with an ultimate bitter end.

Hiro recalculated. Two minutes; Tadashi should be done within that time if nothing else decided to appear and catch his attention.

"Haddock, _now,_" he heard the female hiss tightly through her teeth. When Hiro looked back at the blonde, her eyes flickered from him to the squire and to the edge of the clearing, looking scared and determined at the same time. She grabbed the boy's wrist and shifted her body away from the dragon.

Hiro's eyes widened. No! If they ran now, they were for sure going to enter Tadashi's field of view! The little Hamada was torn between letting them go and get roasted by his brother, and stopping them from leaving. Both were a bad idea - after all, Hiro had a sense of honor and also a sense of self-preservation.

Before the younger Hamada could make up his mind on what to do, the two humans were racing across the meadow, diagonal from his older brother's position and directly behind him.

_Damn it all!_

The younger dragon felt a jolt of alarm shoot down his spine when he saw Tadashi's head snap to the side, eyes focusing on the two figures sprinting on flat ground. He had already finished off all the knights; Revendale and Avidel were probably toasted alive in their gaudy armor, lying in a pile of ashes somewhere on the forest floor.

An image of the two kids in the same state sent guilt pooling low in his stomach.

Making a split second decision, Hiro heaved his body off the ground and dug his claws into soft earth, spreading his wings as far back as he could. He ignored the aching and stinging of his sensitive skin and taxed muscles. In one hard drag downwards, Hiro short towards the two humans, racing his brother to get to them first.

Luckily, his size was to his advantage.

Hiro swept them up in a tangle of limbs and scales, folding his wings around them as they tumbled once and skidded to an abrupt stop when Hiro managed to dig his claws into the grass and dirt beneath him. When he was reoriented, Hiro could hear the furious sound of his brother's wing beats and the low vibration of his growl - menacing and sending a cutthroat message.

A bullet of terror fled through Hiro. What had he just done? He was going to be attacked by his own brother because he was stupid enough to move, and the humans presently in his grasp were going to die with him!

Tadashi gave a shriek and swerved in the sky, head tipping down and hide coming up. Oh God. _Oh God -_ he was going to dive for them. They were going to be torn to shreds. He was coming closer! What should he-

Shot with panic, Hiro decided to stop thinking and let his instincts take over.

The little dragon drew in a deep breath, the sharp smell of heart-fire and musk assaulting his nose now that Tadashi was closer. In one smooth move, the younger Hamada rolled his body into a tight ball, tucking the humans close to his chest and wrapping his wings around his head.

In an instant, he could feel the pheromone's effect stiffening his entire body and making each muscle go unnaturally still. Hiro's eyes fell shut and his breathing slowed drastically, his heartbeat following the pattern and crawling to a near halt.

_Please don't attack us, please __don't attack us__, please __don't attack us__,_ he begged in his mind.

In Hiro's frozen state, he could feel one of the humans struggling in his hold, the other laying limp but breathing harshly against his arm. He had tucked them in tight enough that he was sure they wouldn't be able to draw any weapons on him, but the squirming of the girl still made him apprehensive.

Speaking of apprehensive, the sound of wind whistling past his brother's streamlined body was no longer there. Alternatively, it was replaced with the steady rhythm of wings.

Air brushed past the spines of Hiro's back, and he would have shivered, if not for the pheromones' handiwork. Just from the sensation alone, the smaller dragon could envision his brother hovering over his still form, Tadashi's rage-tinted brain wondering why his moving target had just disappeared from his radar.

The coal-black dragon waited anxiously for a few minutes as his brother flew elsewhere, screeching and killing off the last few things still able to move.

Finally, after a dozen solid minutes, there was a jarring _thud_ as his brother landed, a noisy rustle informing Hiro that his wings were being tucked in.

Good - that was a good sign. His brother was calming down.

Hiro absently checked on the humans in his arms. The girl was calm now, and he could hear the squire talking to her in quiet, reassuring mumbles. It sounded technical (and slightly excited with a mix of awe in there), but Hiro didn't have the time to listen in on them.

A loud huff reached the young dragon's ears, and a sweet scent and that familiar musk washed over him. Slowly, one-by-one, his muscles relaxed; a tingling feeling slithering up his nerves from being held in one position for too long.

"Hiro..?" Came his brother's hesitant voice.

The little Hamada unfurled his wings slightly and raised his head, cracking his neck a few times. "Yeah?" he responded.

Tadashi padded over to him and licked his nose comfortingly. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

Hiro slid his head underneath his brother's chin, purring at the warmth that seeped through his scales. "Mmhmm," he hummed, content for the moment.

A shuffling against his chest brought him back to reality, and Hiro couldn't help but curse in his mind.

_Crap._ How was he supposed to explain this to 'Dashi?

_Hurhur, sorry big bro, but I deliberately didn't breathe in your 'overprotective mom' pheromones so I could watch you wreck things and mess up those knights, but then I had to save these humans because I'm honour bound to them - the humans which were the very reason why you had a Fire Fit in the first place; but these ones are different because thescrawnyonesavedmylifebeforeyoudid._

Nope. _Nope_. **_NOPE_**.

There was no way he was going to say that to his brother's face. First of all, he would have gotten a huge, two-hour long lecture about not following his instincts while Tadashi was in a Fit. Second, he would have been questioned why of all things he had saved _humans -_ the very ones that were at war with their species for food and living space. Then he'd have to explain that the squire had actually stopped one of the knights from beheading him, which would in turn leave Tadashi guilty and grief stricken that he hadn't been there for his brother, and ultimately lead to overbearing coddling for a good month.

Hiro shuddered at the thought. He would rather swallow his tail.

Unfortunately, the humans didn't share his opinion on letting their presences being made known, and a loud, high-pitched hiccup came from within Hiro's arms.

The older Hamada looked down at his brother in surprise. "What was that?"

The little dragon avoided Tadashi's eyes and let out a nervous laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Another hiccup came from behind a curtain of coal-black wings. The smaller of the two wanted to groan.

Furrowing his eyebrows, the elder cocked his head. "Don't lie to me, Hiro Hamada."

Hiro gulped. Rolling onto his back, he slowly unfurled his wings, revealing the wriggling humans in his arms. Immediately, Tadashi's eyes darkened, the pupils sliding back into slits and flashing orange. A feral snarl lifted from deep in his chest. "Let go of them Hiro," he said menacingly.

The younger Hamada cringed, but hastened to explain. "Wait! 'Dashi- um, actually... these humans-..."

Tadashi's gaze flickered to Hiro's face and back to the brunet and blonde.

"They saved my life," he finished. A look of surprise flit across his brother's face, alarm settling in like a second skin. "They did _what_?"

Hiro quickly gave Tadashi a run down from the very beginning, using vague details for some parts (his impromptu trip into the kingdom) and highlighting others (the development of his new technique).

His brother only nodded along and didn't comment. When he was finished with his tale, Tadashi eyed the boy in Hiro's arms thoughtfully, a shine of respect shimmering in his now caring brown orbs. "Let them go," he whispered softly.

Gently, Hiro rolled back to his front, placing the humans on the ground with a grunt.

The girl was quick to scramble out from beneath him, but the boy took his time getting up, much to the blonde's chagrin.

"Relax Astrid," he chuckled, strained. "They're not going to hurt us."

At the girl's splutter, he added, "This little guy here saved us." -_ He's little? _the girl squawked, eyeballing Hiro incredulously. The boy nodded and jerked his head in Tadashi's direction. "The bigger one was in a Fire Fit and was attacking anything that moved. And guess what we were doing?" he asked in a slight sarcastic tone.

Astrid scowled at him. Haddock grinned crookedly and looked to Hiro. "He stopped his buddy there from killing us."

Hiccup - Hiro decided to nickname the scrawny squire - turned to him and hesitantly reached out a hand to pat his stomach. "Didn't you?"

The movement was endearing and Hiro cooed, bowing his head to blow hot air into the other's hair. Hiccup chuckled and pushed at his snout, earning a small chattering sound from Tadashi. Hiro grinned at the dragon-ish giggle.

_Looks like we've just made new friends,_ Hiro thought pleasantly, purring as Hiccup scratched under his chin and Astrid was slowly coaxed into joining. Tadashi stretched out on the grass a few meters away, keeping a watchful eye on his brother and the two interesting humans.

Maybe they wouldn't have to move into a high, jagged cave after all.

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><p>Oh goodness I have so many headcanons for these two as dragons! These magical creatures were my all-time favourite as a kid (and still are - I'm not grown up, what are you talking about?)<p>

I was thinking that since I've already gone and introduced Hiccup and Astrid from HTTYD, why not Toothless? (Oh maaannn the_ ideas_)

Also, the Hamadas will have a dragon species name, like how Toothless is a Nightfury. **Try to guess what it is~ Or alternatively, tell me what you think they should be named! I'd like to hear your opinions and ideas :D**

_Thank you to Aphrodite433 for editing my shit this chapter XD_


	7. Ears and Tail 02 - Claustrophobia

Okay, a ton of you guys have been asking me if this one shot series is incest. And honestly, it completely depends on my mood. Those who have read Once-Chance know that I am a Hidashi shipper, but my stories so far have been safe (Though I admit I _have_ written a NSFW thingie on tumblr; if you wanna read it, PM me and I'll send you a link).

Most of the time I can guarantee you that it will just be kept to platonic brotherly!Hidashi with borderline _'eh, maybe, maybe not'_ moments (such as the first chapter and third one - at least in my view because of the implied things), but if it was anything with legit romance in it, I would warn my readers ahead of time at the top of the story.

As for what you see in these stories as incest, it all really depends on how you look at it. I aim to write in a descriptive yet open-minded way that allows readers to interpret as they will. Don't like incest? Don't think of it that way, or don't read it at all. Simple and done.

As for you Hidashi shippers out there? Go on with your business as you were. You can take those innuendos that I hid in some of the chapters and use it to your imagination. Don't want to? Just read it for the fluff. Either way, you're all good :)

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><p><em>MAYBE TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH BULLYING. I KNOW THE FEEL BRO. HANG STRONG!<em>

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><p><strong>Ears and Tail 02 – Claustrophobia<strong>

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

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><p>"Speaker and voice box volume input?"<p>

"Check."

"Maneuverability of carbon fiber skeleton?"

"Double check."

"Hyper spectral cameras and scanner?"

"Triple-decker sandwich of check."

"Medicine canisters?"

"Again, check."

"Battery?"

"Oh, would you look at that? Another check."

"Video monitor, defibrillators, heater and stash of lollipops? "

"Check, check, check aaand... Check."

"Huggable design?"

Hiro poked at Baymax's stomach with his toe. "Heh, as soft as a marshmallow, big bro."

Tadashi smiled and rubbed his hands together, jostling Hiro a bit from his perch. "Alright, then let's fire this guy up!"

The teen climbed off his brother's shoulders from the position they were working in when his brother crouched to let him off. With an excited bounce, he said, "Ready? On one, two-"

With the unspoken three left hanging in the air, both brothers said in sync, "Ow."

A mechanical whir filled the air briefly before Baymax straightened from his slumped deactivated stance, blinking and turning to observe them.

"Hey big guy," Hiro chirped, going up to the robot to pat it on the stomach. "How're you feeling?"

Baymax didn't respond.

The smile on the younger Hamada's face melted. "Uh... Baymax?" Hiro waved a hand in front of the bot's 'eyes' before he backed off and sent a concerned glance to his brother when the robotic nurse said nothing - not even reacting to the sound of his voice nor his blatant attempt at getting his attention. "What's wrong with him? He's not saying anything."

Tadashi lifted a brow and circled the bot, tail flicking out anxiously behind him. Baymax couldn't be malfunctioning already! They just fixed him! "That doesn't make sense, we checked everything over-"

The older Hamada cut himself off and turned to Hiro with a knowing look. "Did you mess with his chip again Hiro?"

"I- uh..." At the accusation, the teen gulped and his ears flipped back in a telling sign._ Crap, I forgot to return the chip last night!_ Hiro thought hurriedly.

Tadashi turned to Baymax before the teen could fish out a response and poked him over his access port. Sure enough, when the dock popped out of the bot, the slots were empty. The young adult shook his head and sighed, eyeing his brother wearily. "What did you do this time?"

Hiro knew he wouldn't be able to lie about this one. He twiddled his thumbs, and when that did nothing to ease his nerves, he looked to the floor abashedly and rolled the hem of his shirt between his fingers. "Um, I may or may not have... Inputted a database dedicated solely to flavours of gummy bears?" He looked up with a guilty grin on his face, showing off that gap-tooth that he knew made Tadashi melt.

The elder of the two only groaned and buried his face in his hands, peeking through his fingers and sending his younger brother an unimpressed look. "_Gummy bears?_ Seriously Hiro?"

"Hey!" Hiro shouted indignantly, ready to defend his precious snack items. "Gummy bears are the heart and soul of the entire universe! They make living on Earth worthwhile. If they had them on Mars and not Earth, I'd have been born there instead."

Tadashi rolled his eyes at his brother's over dramatic argument and pushed at Hiro's head. "Whatever nerdling, just go get the chip. You probably have it somewhere on you, right? Please say you do, otherwise we can't get to finishing Baymax's upgrades."

Hiro scoffed playfully, already grabbing Tadashi's hat off of his brother's head to cover his own ears and tucking his long, black tail under his shirt. "Of course I do. It's in the locker room with my other stuff."

The older Hamada called after him just as Hiro opened the door to their shared lab. "Make it quick, break's about to start in half an hour. I wanna finish checking Baymax's upgrades before then!"

The teen spun on his heel to face his brother and mock saluted him. "Yes, Nerdlord! Your wish is my command!"

With a snicker, Hiro jogged down the hall - passing the main lab and greeting a few people in the shared space – before rushing off with hurried words and a few waves.

By the time he reached the locker room, Hiro's ears were starting to throb from being trapped under the hat and his tail was beginning to twitch from being held against the line of his back in such a stiff position. The teen huffed. This was the only doubt he had had about enrolling into SFIT two months prior.

Hiding your identity as a hybrid wasn't exactly easy work, what with the extra appendages.

He knew Honey Lemon, being a parrot, couldn't exactly hide the colourful array of feathers that sprouted from her back and trailed down to her ankles. Luckily she was well-liked and sociable. Gogo on the other hand, just didn't care that people knew she was a cheeta hybrid and Wasabi fit pretty well into his gorilla image, so not many people questioned him. Fred was also pretty hard to figure out - he was a gecko, but with him being a comic fanatic and in a mascot costume most of the time, people just didn't question his lizard tail anymore.

Tadashi and Hiro were a different story, however. There were people that held grudges against the Hamada brothers because they were smart - too smart, in their opinion. The elder of the two didn't want them to be even more ostracized when being a hybrid was thrown into the mix. That's why Hiro was forced to hide his identity as a black panther-house cat mix.

Hiro was quick to obey his brother when he enrolled, the nightmares of bullies past still occasionally haunting him in the dead of night. He didn't need people coming after him in college - he'd had enough of that in high school.

The teen sighed. He didn't regret joining SFIT though - after all, he got unlimited supplies for all of his projects he wasn't able to create in Aunt Cass' little garage, a challenge for his too-big brain, and to top it all off, he got to spend time with Tadashi in their now shared lab. It was great.

Hiro stepped into the empty room and pulled the San Fransokyo Ninjas cap off his head, scrubbing a hand through his hair the same way he'd seen Tadashi do all those times when he came back from school. He sighed in relief as he finally let his tail slip out from underneath the hem of his shirt.

It couldn't hurt having them out, right? Class was still in session and nobody would come into the locker rooms for another half hour. He only needed to grab one thing; in and out, simple as that.

Hiro skipped over to his and Tadashi's shared locker, easily punching in the code for the small numlock above the handle. Just as he swung open the locker, voices came from outside of the door - voices that sent shivers down Hiro's spine and apprehension coiling low in his gut.

The locker room's door was pushed open and Hiro stood frozen in shock, heart stuttering and staring dumbly at the group of three seniors who had just entered. They were the ones who had been harassing him during class for being too smart and Callaghan's favourite student since the third week Hiro had enrolled into the college.

"Oh? What do we have here? It's Hamada Jr. guys!" The leader of the group smirked, turning to his friends and sharing a sickeningly devious smirk. "What are _you_ doi-"

The man paused when he saw the pointed cat ears quivering atop Hiro's head and the coal-black tail puffed out behind the teen. His smirk turned into a sneer. "I see how it is. Hamada Jr.'s a _hybrid_."

The stunned look on the other two goons' faces turned into wicked grins. The guy on the left scoffed. "That explains why he's so damn smart."

The last goon crossed his arms over his chest and stepped closer to Hiro. "It's 'cause he's genetically modified." His face got uncomfortably close. "Aren't you, _freak?_"

With the last word, he shoved the teen into the locker door, a sharp bang echoing through the changing room.

Hiro's heart was pounding - pounding so hard he thought it would crawl out of his throat and strangle him before he had the chance to breathe. Either that, or throw up and pass out.

His mind stopped and grasped desperately for a witty comeback, but the only functioning part of his brain told him to hold his tongue. They would go away if he didn't say anything. He didn't need to make the situation worse.

A bruising grip on his bicep brought Hiro out of his mental debating, a small sound of shock leaving him. He struggled against the hold, tail lashing and fingers clawing at the meaty hand tugging him around like a ragdoll.

The second goon cuffed him, stopping his struggles as he dealt with the pain. The man leaned in, hissing in the teen's face, "Say something. You're a freak, aren't you?"

The younger Hamada stumbled for words, only getting out a few jumbled sentences that didn't make sense, even to him. Hiro felt his knees go weak and his palms going slick with sweat. He felt like the floor was spinning - faltering beneath his feet.

The leader sneered at him. "Aw, isn't that a sorry sight? The little kitty-cat is too scared to say anything. And I thought you were supposed to be the genius. Go on, say the facts: you're a freak."

Hiro was pinned on both sides now, one person on each side holding his arms. He didn't know what to do. This was a repeat of his nightmares from high school. A lump of fear formed in the teen's throat, choking him.

"T-Tadashi..." he called weakly under his breath, praying for his brother to bust in and protect him as he had so many times in the past.

"Whoa!" the first goon exclaimed, leaning back from Hiro. "This guy's calling for big bro to come and save him! I guess that makes him a _scaredy-cat_!"

The ring leader smirked and leaned in to grip Hiro's face by his cheeks, hand covering his mouth in a pinching vice. The teen bit his lip to avoid the cry that was sure to escape his mouth.

"Calling Hamada Sr. to come and help you?" He shook his head and rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Oh, I'm petrified! You know what?" he snarled, "Big bro's not coming. And even if he did, what's he gonna do? He's a skinny little mutt; a half breed like you."

Hiro couldn't help himself. Before his brain could catch up with his smart-alec mouth, he had already blurted out against the thick hand covering his lips, "So that makes you better than him, having two guys to back up your non-existent muscle?"

With a snarl, the leader gripped a fistful of Hiro's bangs, dragging his head forward and then shoving it back into the metal of the lockers.

The younger Hamada saw stars, his skull throbbing over the place where it had made harsh contact with the cold surface of his long-time enemy. He let out a groan of pain.

"At least I'm normal. You're just a monster," the senior hissed between clenched teeth.

" 'm not a monster," Hiro mumbled before he could stop. He cursed his inability to leave things as was without having the last word.

The breath was knocked out of the boy when a fist came flying into his stomach. He gagged.

"No, you're not a monster. You're a freaking mutation," the senior growled. He made a dismissive hand motion. "Throw him into the locker. He deserves it."

Hiro's eyes flew wide open. No, not the locker! Not again- anything but that!

"N-no, wait please," he cried, struggling against the tight hold on his arms. "Please! No!"

Hands were all over him, pushing and shoving Hiro into a cramped space that he was all-too familiar with. The younger Hamada grasped at the outstretched arms shoving him back whenever he tried to pull himself out of the locker. "Stop! Please, don't-!"

He yelped in pain when a foot stomped over his tail that was hanging out of the metal box, and cradled it to his chest. The moment of inattention cost him though, as that was all the time the bullies needed to shut the locker door on him with a cringe-worthy slam and an almost inaudible click of the automatic lock sliding into place.

Hiro paled in the darkness. "Please, let me out! Open it up! Please!"

The teen banged his fists into the closed door, hearing the trio's snickers through the cold metal. He was breathing hard, his heart pulsing in his ears and blood rushing through his head. A terrified whine escaped the genius' throat and tears stung his eyes, turning his vision blurry.

"Please," he whispered desperately. Hiro curled in on himself, tucking his head in between his knees and wrapping cupped hands over his ears. "Nii-chan," he cried quietly.

The enclosed space seemed to be getting smaller, shrinking around the boy until he was gasping for breath that wouldn't come and couldn't fill his lungs. He knew he was hyperventilating; he knew he was having a panic attack; he knew he had claustrophobia.

All of that knowledge didn't help him escape it.

Hiro screamed.

Through the ear-shattering echo from within the locker, Hiro could hear over his own laboured breathing to catch the threat that left him with a vacant feeling of dread.

"We'll see you in class, _freak._"

* * *

><p>I'm so cruel hahaha...haha...ha... *sobs* (Sorry for non-existent writing style OTL I can't keep to one type)<p>

Next will be the Bird!AU~ (Or maybe the Dragon AU... Continuation of this chapter? IDK. All depends on how I want to get rid of my finals stress T^T)


	8. Wings 02 – The Man in the Mask

I hope you guys don't mind, but I'm going to be taking a break from Once-Chance until after I finish my exams. I'll keep updating for Paw Prints though, since writing small one-shots will help me relieve stress and keep my game up until I get back to writing emotionally scarring chapters :D

WHOOPS REALLY SHORT – I SHOULD BE STUDYING FORGIVE ME

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><p><strong>Wings 02 – The Man in the Mask<strong>

**BirdHybrids!Hidashi, Anthro**

* * *

><p>"A hundred-twenty thousand!"<p>

"A hundred-fifty!"

"Seventy five!"

"Two hundred sixty!"

The rest of the shouts dissolved into hurried debating, words tossed back here and there over how much each person had and matters that were of no consequence to the man standing on the stage.

The auctioneer kept a sharp ear out for prices, loving the music of greed ring out from the mass of voices in front of him. If this kept up, he wouldn't have to rush to collect for the next auction for another month or so. Oh man, this job was so lucrative!

When no one went past the three hundred thousand mark, Henry lifted his cane in a challenging gesture, smirking devilishly. "Is that it?" He scanned the crowd. "Three hundred thousand for the Hamada Brothers! Going once, going twice..."

As expected, a final voice shouted out, "Five hundred thousand!"

Matsuoshita grinned like a shark, pointing the end of his staff towards the man who had his placard raised. "That's what I like to hear! Going once, going twice...!" Henry turned towards the cage, gripping the bars and eyes sparkling in hunger. "Sol-!"

"-One million," a voice rang out. It was low and slightly garbled near the end – altered.

_Dangerous._

The hall went deathly silent and the auctioneer raised an eyebrow, still facing the cage. That was a hefty sum for people in the underground – not many people threw out that much cash in fear of the under-the-table exchange being caught; not that he was complaining.

But still – everything about this unseen person screamed suspicious.

Matsuoshita slowly swivelled on his heel, happy face gone and eyes narrowed in sharp distrust. "One million?" He asked doubtfully, tilting his head to regard his audience. A tense quiet vibrated in the air.

From the corner of the auctioneer's sight, a shadowed figure moved smoothly between people, slipping its way to the front. Yellow eyes flashed, stripes of blood red making a shiver travel down Henry's spine.

When the man finally stepped out of the crowd, he stood sturdy and intimidating, even from his position from the auction floor. Dangerous. Definitely dangerous.

"One million," the computerized voice confirmed, tone final.

Henry Matsuoshita regarded the figure warily, his face turning to the side to move the man out of the proximity of his blind spot and turning his nose up. The stare down was edgy, each party quietly contemplating the other.

With a sniff, the auctioneer tapped his cane against the bars of the cage, eyes never leaving the black trench coat. "One million it is," Henry whispered. His voice could be heard even with the abandoned warehouse filled with people.

The auctioneer turned to the crowd and a little louder, said, "Going once – anyone else? Going _twice_..."

Not a soul dared to raise their placards.

Henry suppressed a scowl. He didn't enjoy selling to weirdoes, no matter his reputation of interacting with shady individuals.

Still, nobody moved a muscle.

"Sold, to the man in the kabuki mask!" Matsuoshita exclaimed without cheer.

A buzz rippled through the air and the auctioneer forced a smile to appear on his thin lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my greatest gratitude for attending the Silent Sparrow tonight. Those who have won a bid, please meet in the back with your money in hard cash. The trade off will commence in thirty minutes."

With a final, clipped bow at the waist, Henry repeated his signature opening move. He lifted his crested cane and tapped it twice before swinging it to the side in a large sweep of his arm.

"_Owari desu,_" he announced, falling back into Japanese. "_The End!_"

The old curtains folded neatly at the end of the stage stared to move, and with it, so did the people. The shuffle of feet and drifting voices filled Henry's ears as those who had came for entertainment or the hope of winning something filed out in hoards.

As the red stage curtains met in the middle of the platform, Matsuoshita shuddered. "He's like a ghost – a _youkai_," the auctioneer murmured to himself, turning to go backstage and ready the auctioned items for trade.

The man absently contemplated how many hours of sleep he would be able to get that night.

After all, he didn't think he'd be able to get the image out of his head – a still picture frozen in time of the moonlit warehouse remaining seared into his memory.

Henry Matsuoshita had seen many things, but as he wheeled away the golden bird cage – two black lumps once again unmoving – two yellow eyes and stripes of red haunted him.


	9. Ears and Tail 03 - Exposed

**Ears and Tail 03 – Exposed**

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

**Cheetah!Gogo, Parrot!Honey, Gecko!Fred, Gorilla!Wasabi**

* * *

><p>Tadashi was worried. Well, more worried than usual.<p>

Hiro had left almost half an hour ago, and their break was starting in a couple of minutes. He shouldn't have taken that long just to retrieve Baymax's chip, and Tadashi knew that his brother wouldn't get distracted by something so much so that he'd just run off and leave him waiting.

The door to his personal lab slid open, and the older Hamada turned to the entrant - a scolding on his tongue about Hiro taking his precious time and worrying Tadashi - before he realized who it was.

Honey Lemon bounced into the room with a cheerful chatter and the slight flare of yellow-pink-green wings.

Tadashi flinched. He still wasn't used to anyone but Hiro coming into his personal work space, and it honestly felt a bit like an invasion of privacy when anyone other than his little brother burst through those doors.

"Hey, Tadashi! We're going to go out to the cafeteria for lunch, are you going to join us?"

"Uh, sorry Honey Lemon. I'm still waiting for Hiro."

Gogo Tamago appeared behind the tall blonde and popped a bubble, her ears flickering. "It's been half an hour since he passed the nerd lab. It's lunch already," she stated blandly.

Wasabi was quick to join in the conversation, Fred trailing nonchalantly behind. "What's going on?" they asked in tandem.

The cheetah-mix turned to the Afro-American, jerking her thumb towards Tadashi and deadpanned, "The pipsqueak's taking his precious time in the locker room getting something and this nerd here is going to wait for him."

Fred peeked over Wasabi's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "I saw the little dude go past the labs, but I didn't see him return."

The gecko rubbed his chin. "In fact, I think I saw Ritchie and his friends walking in the same direction," he commented absentmindedly. "They're kinda like the common low-class villain you see in those comic books who are bullies to the heroes when they first develop their powers. Like Spider Man!"

"_What did you say?_" Gogo snarled, grabbing Fred by the collar and bringing her face so close to his, their noses were touching. The wild cat's tail thrashed violently behind her in a show of sudden irritation.

"Like Spider Man?" The lizard squeaked out, unsettled by the change in their friend's attitude.

"No, who did you say you saw going in the same direction?" she questioned with a growl.

"R-Ritchie and his friends," Fred got out. When Gogo pulled away, the rest of the gang were finally able see why the gecko-mix had turned a ghastly shade of white.

Gogo's eyes were narrowed dangerously, and her pupils were contracted into slits. A crease had crinkled in between her brows as she snarled, flashing her bared fangs.

A nervous chitter left Honey. Wasabi gasped, mouthing "Oh, mama," under his breath, and Tadashi shuffled - trying not to twitch at the intimidation he felt at seeing his friend's outright aggression.

"He's the guy who keeps picking on the runt! I thought I told them to stay away from him!" Gogo scowled to herself, sheathing her fangs once she noticed the way the gang shirked away from her anger.

A bad feeling twisted in Tadashi's gut. "What?" he asked numbly.

Gogo glanced sidelong at the cat-mix. "Last week I was going to get myself a canned coffee from the vending machine down that one hallway past Hiro's mechanics class and I saw those jerks backing your little brother up against a wall," she explained impatiently.

Tadashi's eyes were as round as saucers as dread pooled low in his stomach with the slippery chill of ice.

"I warned them not to touch a hair on the pipsqueak's head, otherwise they'd get it. They ran off and that was supposed to be the end of that," Gogo blew a bubble and popped it with more force than necessary.

Behind her, Honey, Fred and Wasabi flinched.

"But I guess they still haven't learned their lesson," she growled. "They're all idiots. It's not surprising that they didn't recognize a death threat when they heard one."

Tadashi balked at the story. "Why didn't you tell me?" he nearly screeched.

"I-" Gogo began, but before another syllable had left her mouth, Tadashi was already running out of the lab faster than anyone had blinked.

A second of stunned silence weighed on the hybrids before a squeak caught their attention.

"Um... guys?" Honey asked hesitantly. She held up Tadashi's spare baseball cap that he kept hanging on the lab's cluttered desk lamp in case something happened to his beloved San Fransokyo Ninjas hat.

Wasabi gasped and the rest of them paled. All four of the hybrids turned to look out the open doors of Tadashi's lab.

Honey Lemon was the first to break the uneasy silence.

"He didn't tuck his tail in either, did he?"

* * *

><p>Tadashi was already halfway down the hall to the locker rooms when he saw them.<p>

Ritchie and his goons were walking at a leisurely pace, postures slumped and cocky as they smacked each other's arms, laughing in quiet snickers like they were sharing a good joke.

The older Hamada skidded to a stop in front of them, breathing hard and looking ruffled. "Where?" Tadashi demanded breathlessly, eyes wide and chest heaving.

"Hamada Sr.," Ritchie said, lifting a bushy eyebrow, "looking kind of...windswept, aren't ya? Did something..." the bully smirked, tilting his head to the side mock-innocently. "Get under your fur?"

Tadashi hurriedly lifted a hand to his head to run his fingers through his hair, the spaces between his fingers catching on his ears. Hair... Ears...

_Fuck._

The older Hamada's eyes widened and when his head whipped back, Tadashi caught sight of his obsidian tail standing straight and frizzled behind him.

Crap, he hadn't been paying attention before he had left his lab, and now he was completely exposed!

The cat-mix mentally shook himself.

No! That didn't matter right now; he could deal with these jerks. The person he needed to protect right now wasn't himself – it was Hiro.

Tadashi opened his mouth – about to roll some sort of cosplay excuse off his tongue and question them again about his little brother – when the guy on the left of Ritchie interrupted him.

The first crony chuckled light heartedly and waved a hand in a flippant gesture, flicking his wrist to indicate the still perked ears atop Tadashi's head. "It's okay, we already knew!" he said a little too cheerfully. "Hamada Jr. was kind enough to tell us before we left."

The mention of Hiro caught the cat-hybrid's attention, a sense of urgency spiking up his spine at the ominous words. Tadashi's jaw snapped closed. With a scowl, the corner of his lips turned down in a firm press and his ears flipped back against his head. He narrowed his eyes at the three standing in front of him.

"Where is he? Tell me where," the older Hamada asked, tone borderline harsh and with a tinge of desperation colouring his words.

"What are you talking about? You're making no sense," the second crony griped, pulling a perplexed face.

The cat smothered a scoff before it could come out. He wasn't stupid. He knew that expression was fake. Tadashi had been able to see through all of Hiro's lies before, and his little brother was a _marginally_ better liar than these goons.

Tadashi's heart jumpstarted and beat wildly against his ribcage when an image of his little brother - beat up and lying on the floor battered and bruised somewhere in the building - flashed before him.

Unbidden, a growl left his chest. It wasn't like him to be so hostile, but not knowing what state Hiro was in (and talking to his brother's past tormentors) was not helping the older Hamada's agitated mood.

Ritchie held up two hands in a surrendering gesture and moved to stand in front of his pal. "Whoa there, no need to get all _freaky _on us - just confused a little. Let me rephrase: where's what? Are you looking for something?"

The man paused and the flicker of a smirk lifted the corner of his lips briefly. "Or is it _someone_?"

Tadashi held back a snarl. These people were really testing his patience. "Hiro. Where is he?" he snapped tersely.

The gang leader smiled sickly sweet. "Well, last we saw him, he was enjoying his own little space... _Alone._"

The insinuation in his voice was enough to send hypothetical situations racing through Tadashi's mind – and none of them were good. Dread pooled low in the older Hamada's stomach. At the same time, a burning hatred flared up, filling his limbs with static.

In an impulsive move, Tadashi grabbed Ritchie's shirt collar, bringing their faces close enough that their noses were barely an inch apart.

"_Tell me where he is!_" he hissed, pupils contracting and slitting – flashing dangerously.

From the distance they were at, the older Hamada could see the sweat collecting on the senior's face, and the sharp, tangy scent of fear filled his nostrils.

"H-hey, no need to get violent," Ritchie squeaked. "T-the last we saw of your little genius was a few minutes ago!"

"A few minutes ago is not a _place_, Ritchie," Tadashi rumbled. "Now where is my younger brother?"

Shaking now, the senior lifted his shoulders in a hesitant, non-committal shrug. Behind him, the other two followed the gesture. "W-we don't know..."

Tadashi released the jerk with a growl, shoving Ritchie with a little more force than necessary. The bully stumbled back, but regained his footing at the last moment.

Ritchie rubbed at his neck. "Freak," he muttered, backing up so he was once again flanked by his goons.

The older Hamada huffed in their direction and swerved around them, hackles raised in the form of hunched shoulders.

These idiots wouldn't give him a straight answer, even though Tadashi was 98% sure they knew where Hiro was. There was no use wasting his time picking a fight with them when he had to find his younger brother. For now, he would let the derisive comment go.

Tadashi paced agitatedly in one spot, his tail thrashing behind him and low growls leaving his chest.

He needed to look at this from another angle; use that big brain of his-

Through the haze of panic and feral anger that filled his head, Tadashi vaguely recalled that Hiro was wearing a hoodie.

And all of Hiro's hoodies had trackers in them.

Yanking his arm up, the cat-hybrid held his wrist to his face, revealing the watch he had modified himself. With a few presses to the buttons in a specific order, the little clock gave a beep and changed the LED number display from the time to a map.

Tadashi wanted to yell in triumph. There, on the little screen of his watch, was a blinking red dot, flickering in one place: the locker rooms.

* * *

><p>Hey guys, Egg-chan here; just wondering, but <strong>which villain did you likehate the most?** I'm planning on making another story strain (either a mermaid/faerie AU), but I'm not sure if I want to make another villain. Henceforth, the thought of reusing.

So far, these are the contenders:

-Henry Matsuoshita (from Wings)

-Avidel and Revendale (from Fire and Death)

-Ritchie and his goons (from Ears and Tail)

-Tadashi (Why Tadashi you say? Yandere!Tadashi, that's why.)

-Callaghan/Krei/Abigail

I've put up a poll - with up to three choices - on my profile page. Please vote! It'll help me get out the new chapter faster! ;D


	10. Handprint 01 - Monster Under The Bed

Not really an animal AU, but hey, who said humans aren't animals in the first place? Just a little something to tide you guys over ;)

* * *

><p><strong>Handprint 01 - Monster Under The Bed<strong>

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Kiddy!Hiro and Pre-Teen!Dashi)**

* * *

><p><strong>Hiro Hamada, Grade 1 Creative Writing (English) Class<strong>**:**

"What is under my bed...?" Hiro murmured to himself, squinting at the blackboard and grimacing. "That's such a stupid question."

The child looked down at the empty lined page of his notebook, glaring at it as if his assignment would write itself if he stared hard enough.

When after several minutes of this, nothing magically appeared, the little Hamada gave a long sigh and picked up his unsharpened pencil from his desk's cold surface.

Hiro wrote the first line and scowled at his messy scrawl. The pencil was dull. The crooked '_Tuesday, May 25th_' stared back at him mockingly.

Whatever; it wasn't like the teachers really checked the date anyway.

"What. Is. Under. My. Bed," Hiro mumbled, tapping his pencil against his head with each word.

The gradeschooler's eyes roamed around the classroom for an answer. Obviously, he could be blunt and just answer that he shoved his dirty laundry under there, but if Aunt Cass came over for parent interview night and looked through his notebook, then he would be in for a whooping (not that she'd actually hit him or anything - he'd probably just get an ear full and then a shove from Tadashi for stressing their aunt).

Hiro scribbled a little robot in the margins of his journal (it was really just one of those cheap notebooks, but who was he to complain?), a deep frown forming on his chubby face as he thought.

"What... Is under my bed..."

Hiro's eyes lit up in mischievousness.

"I know just the thing!" he nearly shouted, scaring a few of his classmates who were sitting beside him and making his teacher jump slightly from his position across the room.

Hiro's tongue stuck out of the corner of his lips as his head lowered close to his paper. It was perfect; this was the absolute perfect answer.

The young Hamada wrote two words on his page and wiped an arm over his brow, blowing out a breath of relief.

There, that wasn't so hard, now was it?

* * *

><p><strong>The Day of Parent Teacher Interviews:<strong>

"Hi, you must be Ms. Hamada," Hiro's teacher greeted Cass, walking up to her and shaking her hand. "I'm Mr. Haddock, your son's-"

"-Nephew's," Aunt Cass corrected, glancing at Hiro who stood beside Tadashi who had tagged along for the younger's PT interview. It was Hiro's first, and though he wasn't nervous by any means, Tadashi had come along to support his baby brother anyways.

The brunet blinked in surprise for a few seconds before he gave a sheepish smile and lifted a hand to rub at the back of his neck. "Oh, I'm sorry; your _nephew's_ teacher."

Mr. Haddock sat down behind his teacher's desk and gestured to the chair in front of it. "Please, have a seat."

Hiro tugged on the hem of the brunet's green shirt, the other hand pointing to the corner of the room where the bookshelves sat collecting dust. "Hiccup, it okay if I read books over there with 'Dashi?"

"Go ahead," the teacher responded, attention momentarily pulled away from the person he was supposed to talk to about a certain... _issue_.

"Thanks Hiccup!" the child chirped before skipping over to his brother and tugging him along to view his favourite reads.

Cass' eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Hiccup?" she asked, looking at the teacher in front of her with a startled expression.

The man let out a meek laugh, a crooked smile pulling at his lips and a blush forming on freckled cheeks. "That's what the kids call me. The nickname came from the first day of school when I had a bad case of the hiccups that I couldn't stop until the end of the day."

Aunt Cass chuckled behind a hand. "That's an interesting nickname to have."

Mr. Haddock smiled. "I don't mind too much. It makes it easier for the kids to remember."

His expression quickly sobered. "Now, about Hiro..."

Catching the change in atmosphere, Cass straightened in her seat and nodded to show she was listening. The brunet heaved a sigh and Aunt Cass prepared herself for the worst.

"Recently, the board has made a new requirement for children from grades one to eight to write a daily creative writing journal before first period. And Hiro..."

The teacher's expression scrunched up as he tried to think of the right words to express their slight predicament.

"Hiro is a very smart child," he started, "and I don't doubt that he is smart enough to skip grades. However, in one journal entry, I've found an answer that is sort of... _problematic_, for lack of better word choice."

Cass' eyes were wide in disbelief. "Problematic?" she asked apprehensively. Oh jelly donuts, what had Hiro gotten himself into now?

Hiccup took in a breath. "Well... Most students had wrote something age-appropriate, but Hiro has..." The teacher trailed off uncertainly and gestured helplessly with his hands.

Aunt Cass groaned and buried her face behind her hands. "What did he write?" she mumbled resignedly.

With a sigh, Mr. haddock pulled out Hiro's white and blue journal and began flipping through the pages. Once he found what he was looking for, he placed the book spine-down and open for Aunt Cass to read.

There, on the mostly blank page, was the title, "What is under your bed?" in bold, capital letters - the teacher's writing.

And underneath it, was the two word answer scrawled out in Hiro's chicken scratch writing:

"A nerd."

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><p>*Still laughing* *Rolls away into oblivion*<p>

P.S. I _really_ need you guys to vote for the villain in the new story strain! I can't do much with the votes I have now. Poll is still up! Vote soon - the deadline will be Valentine's Day.

Also, while your at it, what would you like more?** Faerie** or **Mermaid** AU?


	11. Ears and Tail 04 – First Instinct

**HEADCANON!**

In the book _Hiro's Journal_, there is a part where Hiro writes there/they're/their and crosses the first two out, following it by the words, "Why is English so hard?" in brackets. This lead me to believe that English was not Hiro and Tadashi's first language - Japanese is.

In this instance, when Hiro is under a lot of pressure - so much so that he "cracks" - he reverts to the most basic functions. He will act childish and will rarely respond when spoken to; in which case, Tadashi must talk to him in Japanese, because regardless of how many years ago Hiro had discontinued the language's use, it was still his first form of communication and will be the only thing that he will register in his "shut down" state.

(Not to say he doesn't use it normally - just rarely, since no one other than Tadashi knows Japanese and he doesn't like socializing with strangers.)

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><p>Sorry if this chapter feels awkward; this subject is a bit touchy for me, and reliving it in my writing is both therapeutic and anxiety-inducing. But nonetheless, I wanted to write it, so here it is!<p>

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><p><strong>Ears and Tail 04 – First Instinct Is Revenge<strong>

**CatBoys!Hidashi, Ears and Tail only**

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><p>Sprinting down the polished hallways, the older Hamada dodged around corners and wound around the spare people that loitered the corridors, uncaring that his tail twisted behind him in plain sight.<p>

When he reached the changing room, Tadashi kicked the door open in a rare show of his hidden power and took a step in, doubling over with his hands on his knees as he paused to catch his breath.

"Hiro!" he called as he straightened, sharp ears swiveling atop his head to listen to the echo of his own voice and the subtle _drip-drop_ from one of the shower's leaky faucets near the back.

It was completely silent except for Tadashi's harsh breaths, and the older cat-hybrid walked down one of the isles, ears twitching. "Hiro?" he called again, clearer this time now that he was breathing properly.

Then he heard it – muffled screams bouncing around in what sounded like an enclosed space. Following the tinny yells was intermediate banging, and Tadashi's heart stopped, dropped, and rolled.

Hiro.

Hiro was in a locker.

Shit. Shit, shit, _shit_.

The loud sound of his brother crying guided the older Hamada to the back of the changing room, and surprise, surprise. The locker was theirs.

What. The. _Hell._

A blinding flash of rage filled Tadashi's vision, colouring it red for all but seconds before the cat-hybrid reigned in his wrath. He could go after Ritchie and his goons later. Right now he had to get Hiro out of their locker.

"Hiro, it's me; I'm going to open the locker, okay?" the older Hamada said softly, knowing that if he were to suddenly open the door without warning, he would send his brother into shock.

The sobbing didn't stop.

Crap. Hiro was too far gone to hear him.

"Hiro?" Tadashi tried again, careful not to rattle the door as he leaned in to press his ear to the cold, biting metal.

"_Dare ka, onegai... Tasukete!_" (_Someone, please... Save me!_) the elder heard being sobbed between large gasping breaths.

At the sound, the older Hamada began beating himself up internally. He felt sick; Hiro only reverted to using Japanese when he was sent into hysterics and couldn't remember any English.

Why hadn't he noticed faster? Why hadn't Tadashi gone with him? This was all his fault - if only he had been watching over Hiro better. How had the other been found out anyway? Tadashi was sure that Hiro had taken his hat before he left.

The answer lay on the floor, not two feet away from him.

Abandoned on the whitewash tiles of the institute's change room was Tadashi's San Fransokyo Ninjas cap, tipped over and crumpled. There were footprints on it - like someone had trampled on it purposely.

Purposely.

This was all done purposely.

A pang of despair shot into Tadashi's heart. This wasn't how he wanted Hiro to live his life; surrounded by individuals that mocked him and targeted him on purpose - hunting for his blood. Tadashi had brought Hiro here for a reason, and now this was undoing all the efforts he had put into getting his little brother back on the right track!

Quickly, Tadashi turned his head back to the rattling locker door and with trembling fingers, he pressed the keys on the number pad with precision coming only from habit. Creaking the door open, the cat-mix crouched down so he was on the same level as his brother.

What he saw when he opened that door fully broke his heart.

Hiro was curled into a tight ball, hands clenching and unclenching in his red t-shirt and breaths coming in short gasps between harsh sobs and loud whimpers as his whole body was wracked with uncontrollable shudders.

The teen's tail was limp and frazzled - it looked sort of flattened near the end, like someone had gone over the fur with a rolling pin - and his ears were pinned back so close to his head, Tadashi almost thought he'd lost them; they were tucked away in such a manner that his brother's hair stuck out more than they did.

Tadashi watched worriedly as his brother rocked back and forth rapidly in what he assumed was Hiro's last line of defense from completely loosing it.

"H-Hiro...?" the older Hamada whispered carefully into the echoing locker.

The only response he got was a choking splutter and a wail of despair. Tadashi grit his teeth. How long had Hiro been in here?

The younger Hamada let out another desperate cry, sobbing one coherent thing: _Nii-chan!_

Tadashi sucked in a breath. It had been _ages_ since his younger brother had called him by that name. It used to be a fond endearment, but now the older of the two dreaded hearing that nostalgic namesake; it meant that Hiro had gone into a panic attack and would need to be calmed and coerced back into reality.

Gently stretching his arms out, Tadashi tried to bring Hiro into his embrace, but was stopped when the teen lashed out with a scream, feet kicking and arms flailing wildly. A solid hit landed on the elder's chest, but he refused to move.

"Hiro," he said levelly, "ochitsuite." (_Hiro, calm down._)

There was no point talking to the younger in English. It wouldn't get through. When he was in this state, Hiro could only function in the most basic of ways. And that included reverting back to his first language - no matter how long ago he had stopped using it.

The flurry of limbs aimed at his face stopped and instead they dropped into a defensive position Tadashi recognized was one of the stances he had taught Hiro when they were learning karate.

A ragged sob left Hiro's lips again. "N-Nii-chan, on-onegai," he plead, breathing picking up again as he hyperventilated. The younger Hamada's shaking resumed.

Tadashi sighed tiredly and sat back on his haunches, leaving a little bit of breathing room for his brother. With a quiet voice, he said, "Hiro, watashi wo mitte." (_Hiro, look at me._)

The teen shook his head fervently, burying it in his arms as he slumped to the side in the locker and curled into a tighter ball. "Boku no nii-chan ga hoshii!" (_I want my brother!_)

Grimacing, the elder held his arms out again, sitting down with his legs crossed on the tiled floor of the locker room. "Watashi wa koko ni imasu; Tadashi wa koko ni iru." (_I'm here; Tadashi's here._)

The boy's head whipped up so fast, Tadashi thought his little brother had given himself whiplash. The subtle cracking sound that came from his neck didn't help relieve the elder's worry, either.

Wide browns eyes pinned Tadashi where he sat - wild and a puffy-red colour from crying. Through the tears, Hiro seemed to vaguely recognize him, as the teen flew into his arms not a second later.

"N-Nii-chan!" Hiro yelped, wrapping his arms around Tadashi's neck.

"Gomene, Hiro. Shiranakatta," (_I'm sorry, Hiro. I didn't know,_) the elder apologized, tucking his sibling's head underneath his chin. When Hiro let out a broken sob, the older brother pulled the teen closer, murmuring soothing promises into his hair. "Dokoni mo ikanai. Yakusoku." (_I won't go anywhere. Promise._)

"T-Tada-shi," Hiro hiccuped in response, sniffling against his collar. His breathing was still uneven and his entire body shuddered and twitched as he cried.

The older Hamada frowned when he felt a warm wetness settle into the fabric of his shirt. He wanted to look over his brother for injuries, but first he needed him to calm down.

Using his fingertips, Tadashi rubbed around the base of Hiro's spine, working his way up to the small of the younger's back. After a few minutes of comforting touches, the elder Hamada paused to assess his brother's condition.

The teen's breathing was finally under control, but the shivers were still there - if not a little less pronounced. The sound of Hiro's sobbing had long since disappeared, however, the growing water stain on Tadashi's shoulder was disconcerting.

They sat there on the floor - Tadashi cradling his little brother, and Hiro silently taking comfort in the warm arms that wrapped him up in a way that didn't feel suffocating.

Pulling back a bit, Tadashi prodded the teen, gently telling him to let go. Hiro shook his head feverishly, arms tightening their grip around his shoulders and his legs wrapping resolutely around his waist.

"Hiro, watashi wo mite kudasai," (_Hiro, please look at me._) Tadashi said patiently, running his hands through his sibling's hair and tracing nonsensical lines into his scalp.

Slowly, the younger Hamada lifted his head, and Tadashi hid a flinch.

Fat tears were collecting in those big brown doe eyes and when they finally pooled over, they ran down two well-worn tracks of red on his baby brother's cheeks. Hiro sniffled and Tadashi's eyes roamed over the rest of the teen's face.

With keen eyes programmed almost as intensely as Baymax's, Tadashi's vision immediately focused on the purple-ish bruise that was forming on Hiro's temple. The area under the teens' eyes were also rubbed raw - most likely from his sleeves, and when Tadashi followed the line of the teen's jaw, the older Hamada came across small red bruises - four on one side and one on the other... _Fingerprints_.

The elder's hackles raised, and a hiss left his lips. How dare they? _Fingerprints!?_

Tadashi felt his teeth grind together and willed his jaw muscles to relax.

Later.

He would get them later.

Repeating a mantra in his head, Tadashi focused on his brother. "Dokoni mo itai no?" (_Does it hurt anywhere?_) he asked gently, running a hand through his brother's fluffy raven hair and taking note of the large bump on the back of his skull.

Hiro's bottom lip stuck out and Tadashi let a strained chuckle escape him. This really was reminiscent of their time as children. He knew his little brother wouldn't answer him though, so the older Hamada took the liberty to run his hands lightly over Hiro's body, starting with his tail.

Shifting his brother so that their chests were touching and Hiro was tucked securely in his hold, Tadashi patted his brother's lower back near the base of his spine.

As expected, the teen's tail raised and his muscles rippled - spasming as a shiver ran up his nerves. Hiro let out a whimper and Tadashi shushed and cooed at him, rocking them both back and forth until his sibling quieted.

Reaching out a hand to the still-raised tail, the older Hamada ran his thumb over the flattened fur before a hiss of pain made him retract his finger. Looked like it was still sensitive.

"Shippo daijoubu?" (_Is your tail alright?_) he asked tentatively.

Hiro buried his nose into the column of Tadashi's neck and nipped at his skin for asking such a stupid question.

The elder let out a breathy laugh. If Hiro was calm enough to have sarcasm in his actions, he was doing better. "Yoshi, yoshi," (_There, there,_) he purred, hoping that the vibrations would help his brother relax.

Their moment was interrupted when the door to the locker room banged open, making both of them flinch in surprise.

"Tadashi? Are you in here? Did you find Hiro?" a voice called. It was Honey Lemon. She sounded breathless and halfway between scared and confused.

Both brothers felt their muscles' tension release - Hiro more so than Tadashi.

The older Hamada knew that help arriving was a good thing, but he didn't want them to see his younger brother like this - broken down and vulnerable. Only he was meant to see that. He was Hiro's pillar, not someone else.

Tadashi pushed away the selfish urge when Hiro wiggled in his arms and let out a gasp of pain - hand coming around to clutch his stomach. The elder took a mental note of the injury, and paused when Hiro's sleeve lifted a little to show the hand-shaped bruise on his forearm.

A sudden growl left him, low and dangerous - abrupt enough that Hiro's ears had immediately twitched in his direction and his pupils had contracted in momentary fear.

No! That wasn't for him-! He wasn't angry at Hiro, he was angry at the people who had hurt his precious baby brother!

Bringing a hand up to cover the scowl he had on his face, Tadashi choked on the feral sound clawing its way up his throat and nuzzled his face into his sibling's hair in silent apology.

What was wrong with him?

"Tadashi?"

The older Hamada's eyes lifted, landing on the gang standing in a misshapen semi-circle to one side of him and Hiro as they shifted awkwardly.

Tadashi made a sound that could've been interpreted as acknowledgement and kept his nose buried in his brother's's hair. Unconsciously, the elder's body shifted so that he could cover as much of Hiro as he could from their sights. A part of Tadashi registered he was probably acting on instincts, but another part of him was rapidly shutting down rational thought - urging him to hiss and claw at any people near and curl up around his sibling until he was safe.

"Dude, is the little man alright?" Fred asked, brows uncharacteristically drawn low as he took a step forward.

Gogo lifted an arm in front of him, halting his advance towards the two before the elder Hamada had a chance to hiss in warning.

"Don't get any closer," she warned through her teeth.

"What? Why?" Wasabi asked, startled tone high in pitch. Tadashi's lip raised, showing off his canines in a silent snarl.

The cheetah's nose twitched and her eyes narrowed as she popped a bubble. "He's releasing 'overprotective mom pheromones' right now. Tadashi is only acting on instinct - if you get any closer, he'll claw your face off."

Wasabi gulped noisily. "Well how do we fix it?"

The wild cat shot the gorilla-mix a look. "We don't," she deadpanned.

Honey's colourful wings shuffled slightly and she tapped her friend's shoulder. "Can't we do anything to help? Hiro looks so scared..."

Gogo's eyes flickered to the little bundle curled in the older Hamada's lap. "He'll be fine. In fact, he probably needs Tadashi's presence more than ours right now. Everyone back up slowly with your palms facing him and maintain at least five feet's distance. He should calm down when he sees we're not a threat."

Fred, Wasabi and Honey all followed Gogo's directions, slowly backing up as if they were preparing to run from a wild animal. Gogo remained where she was, keeping the older of the two's attention on her as her friends moved back to a safe distance.

Once the others were in position, she too inched her way back, keeping narrowed eyes on the way Tadashi's muscles would tense and his tail would thrash if she moved in what he deemed as a threatening move of any kind.

Finally reaching a safe distance, the cheetah-mix sat on the floor of the locker room, making a vague hand motion over her shoulder for the others to do the same. It would take a while for their friend's instincts to calm.

Tadashi eyed them from his crouch, slitted eyes scanning them for dangers even as a glimmer of recognition shined through those chocolate brown orbs.

Hiro's head popped up and the teen promptly stuck his nose in the junction of where his brother's jaw and ear met, nuzzling into the scent gland hidden there. The elder rubbed his cheek against his sibling's ear in return, scent marking him. Their combined purrs echoed loudly in the mostly empty locker room, buzzing with a content message.

Gogo flushed slightly and turned her head away from the oddly intimate scene. Begrudgingly, she noticed that none of her other friends seemed to notice the importance of the action. Of course - they weren't cats nor canines.

The wild cat grimaced to herself. _Of-freaking-course._

"Gogo?" came a strained voice. The cheetah snapped back to reality, fixing her eyes on the figure sitting on the floor across from her. Tadashi still had a protective grip around Hiro, but his posture was more relaxed.

"Yeah," she responded nonchalantly, hiding the fact that she had been startled out of her thoughts.

"Thanks. Hiro and I might take a few days away from school to recover," he rasped.

She nodded understandingly. Falling into an instinctive state was difficult to climb back out of. One only fell into it in the first place if put through extreme stress or pressured with the state of the well-being of a loved one.

With what both brothers had gone through, it was expected they'd take a few days off.

Gogo caught Tadashi's eyes and held them as she nodded solemnly. The older Hamada let out a breath of relief and curled back around Hiro, purring and cooing reassuringly in low tones only she would be able to pick out.

The wild cat gave a half-hearted scowl at the mushy actions and turned to the rest of her friends. "C'mon," she said with a jerk of her head towards the door. "Let's leave them alone."

Honey shot her a concerned look, but left it as was when her friend shook her head.

As soon as they had exited the locker room, Wasabi shivered.

"Woah, did you see Tadashi? He was all like 'rawr' and 'grrr' and stuff! It was so cool!" Fred stage whispered in awe, hands balled up in excited fists.

The Afro-American shook his head. "No, that was not _cool_! He was going to rip our heads off if we _breathed_ the wrong way!"

"I know!" Fred shouted back at him, arms flinging up in excitement.

Gogo stood off to the side, watching the pair banter about whether or not seeing Tadashi in 'mother hen mode' was cool or not. A hand touching her shoulder made her look up at Honey.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked tentatively, concern flashing in her eyes.

"Now, we find Ritchie and his goons," she announced loudly, drawing everyone's attention. The cheetah-mix leaned on her right leg and put a hand on her hip, looking at the three assembled before her. They were nerds, but they were family. And family stood up for each other.

The harsh snap of Gogo's bubble popping resounded in the empty halls and an angry growl left her throat, the dangerous glint her eyes catching and spreading once her friends caught on to her train of thought.

"We find them-" a smirk lifted the corners of her mouth- "and we _end_ them."

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><p>Woohoo! Go Japanese! I could have written it in Hiragana, but then I realized it would have been easier to leave it as romaji... If you guys want to see it in Hiragana next time, leave a comment :D (Also, forgive me if I butchered the Japanese DX I only studied in Japan for four months... If I made a mistake, please tell me so I can fix it.)<p> 


	12. Handprint 02 - For Now

I think I just choked on liquid fluff… (=▽=) Someone save me from drowning in feels (or, you know, just leave me here to die). _(:3 JL)_

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><p><strong>Handprint 02 - For Now the Future Doesn't Exist<strong>

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Baby!Hiro and College Student!Dashi)**

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><p>"What are you, pregnant?" Gogo snarked the moment Tadashi stepped into the lab, warily eyeing the way her friend clutched his bulging stomach over his winter coat.<p>

The older Hamada let out a quiet chuckle as he came to a stop in front the adrenaline-junkie. "Not quite, Gogo."

The woman arched an eyebrow in a silent question, popping her gum with a loud snap.

A fond smile lifted the corners of Tadashi's lips and he peered down at his midsection, shuffling a little bit. "Care to unzip?" he asked with an amused lilt to his voice.

Gogo sneered, but nonetheless reached up to tug on his zipper. "If this is another one of your pranks, I swear to god Hamada-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence.

Zipper down only halfway, Gogo stared wide-eyed as fluffy black locks sprung into view.

"I didn't know you had a kid," she mumbled absently, still trying to process the sight of a child clutching onto her best friend's sweater and snoring slightly.

Tadashi released one hand to loosen the grip the kid had on his clothes and hoisted the bundle a little higher on his midsection so that he was rested comfortably in the crook of his arm. "He's not mine. This is-"

"Oh my gosh! Tadashi! Who is that?" Honey bounded over in a flurry of pink and yellow, hands already plucking out her ear buds.

Noticing the commotion by Gogo's station, Wasabi quickly and meticulously wrapped up his work and meandered over the same time Fred looked up from his comic book.

"Hey, Tadashi-" the Afro-American greeted with a raised hand before he stopped short and his eyes widened comically. "Ah, I... didn't know you... uh..." Wasabi trailed off, awkwardly flicking his eyes back and forth between the child in his friend's arms to a point across the lab.

"Dude! It's a little Mini-You! Let's name him Hamada Junior!" Fred said excitedly, skipping over to their assembled group and spotting what the source of the commotion was all about.

Tadashi chuckled and shook his head in exasperation. "Sorry Fred, he's already got a name. Everyone, meet Hiro, my baby brother."

When Tadashi had talked about his baby brother, then entire gang had assumed that their friend was dealing with a teenager - what with the way he always talked about how much his brother got into trouble.

Honey Lemon was the first to break the stunned silence with a high pitched squeal of joy, hands flying wildly to her side to whip out her phone for a few select pictures. "How old is he?" she twittered happily.

"Two this year. Actually, just turned about half a month ago," Tadashi stated proudly.

Gogo was next, punching Tadashi in the opposite arm that was holding Hiro lightly enough that she didn't jostle the sleeping child. "Nice," she commented, smirking up at him.

"I'm surprised that the little man's still asleep through all this commotion," Wasabi commended dryly, tilting his head to observe the snoring mass of plush, white jacket and wild raven hair.

"Can I hold him?" Fred asked, voice alarmingly soft and tone holding a hint of awe.

Tadashi raised an eyebrow, glancing concernedly at his brother. "Uh, sure, I guess."

With practiced ease, the older Hamada lifted his sibling away from his chest, earning him a small whine of protest as Hiro was pulled away from his heat.

He chuckled and handed him to Fred, who held the child with heartbreaking care. "I've always wanted a little sibling," he crooned, surprising the rest of the gang.

"Really?" Tadashi asked when no one spoke up. It was all on their minds anyway, may as well take the initiative.

The blond nodded. "It gets a little lonely at home," he replied distantly. His tone was a little forlorn, and the group anonymously decided to drop the subject.

"So what was your Mini-Me doing inside your jacket?" Gogo asked, shooting Tadashi a pointed look.

The elder broke into a wide grin and laughed, shrugging out of his jacket now that attention was drawn back to it. "Aunt Cass was stressing because of the health inspectors that are supposed to drop by the café today, and since I was free, I offered to take Hiro off her hands. He's a bit of a hand full; spilling scalding-hot coffee on customers and slipping salt packets into customers' beverages isn't exactly business-friendly, if you know what I mean."

Wasabi shot the child still sleeping in Fred's embrace a wary look, as if he would grow a tail and sprout devil horns. Honey merely covered her giggles with a hand.

"And…?" Gogo prompted. "That still doesn't explain why he was in your jacket."

Tadashi chuckled. "Oh, right. Well, I didn't want to take the moped while Hiro was with me, so the only option was public transport. Halfway here, Hiro complained he was cold – I told him to wear the scarf! Really," he scoffed tiredly, "that Bonehead will be the death of me one day. Just yesterday-"

"Focus," Gogo cut in, snapping her fingers in front of her friend's face. "I came for the story, not the rant. Woman up already."

The older Hamada blushed. "So, yeah… Since I didn't have a scarf myself, I just offered to share my coat. And then he fell asleep like that."

Honey Lemon crooned at the adorable story, bouncing over to Fred's side to look down on the sleeping child. "Oh Freddie, look at him! He's so cute and tiny," she cooed, taking one of Hiro's clenched fists in her hand.

Seemingly disturbed by the sudden contact, Hiro's eyes blearily blinked open, taking in the new faces that loomed over him. His expression was carefully blank – almost neutral – before his face scrunched up and his cheeks turned red. Oh gosh, he was gonna cry-!

"U-uhhh…" the child whined, seemingly trying to hold back tears. A guilty look passed over Fred and Honey's faces before they hurriedly tried to soothe the toddler with shushes and bouncing. A whimper left the child. It wasn't working.

"T-Tadashi, um, take the child? Please? I don't think I can handle it if he starts crying," Wasabi plead, eyes already starting to water with empathy tears. Gogo elbowed him in the side with a murmured, 'woman up.'

"Hiro, watashi wa koko," (Hiro, I'm over here,) Tadashi calmly called, catching his brother's attention.

The toddler twisted in Fred's hold, eyes roaming for the source of that familiar voice. Two watery-brown eyes honed in on the elder, and Hiro's arms were already stretched out towards him. "N-Nii-taaan," he burbled, making grabbing motions with his hands. A disapproving sniffle and a mild hiccup left the small child.

"Yoshi, yoshi," (There, there,) Tadashi chuckled, taking his brother back into his arms. "Watashi wa imasukara, nakanaide." (I'm here, so don't cry.)

Hiro made a sound and buried his face into his elder brother's neck, mumbling something only Tadashi could hear. The elder Hamada chuckled, a bright, rich sound leaving his lips. He pressed a kiss to the top of his little sibling's hair and bounced him. "Un, daijoubu. Hora, mite, Nii-san no tomodachi. Yasashi no aisatsu wo onegai, ne?" (You'll be alright. Look, it's your brother's friends. Please give them a nice greeting, 'kay?)

The younger Hamada peeked from under his bangs at the gang, and with a little circular wave of his hand, he squeaked out, "Boku wa Hiro. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." (I'm Hiro. I'll be in your care.)

Honey gasped, hands flying to her mouth. She'd never heard such an articulate two-year-old before! In Japanese no less! (It was, after all, a tricky language.)

"Um, translation please?" Wasabi tentatively asked, shooting Honey and Tadashi looks. They were the only people within the gang that were fluent in Japanese, so it was all on them.

"Yoroshiku, Hiro! Watashi wa Aiko! Honey Lemon wa ii yo," (Nice to meet you Hiro! I'm Aiko! Honey Lemon's fine,) the blonde easily chirped, vibrating on the spot with how cute Tadashi's younger brother was. With a sweep of her hand, she indicated each member of their group. "Kochira wa Wasabi. Kao wa chotto kowai, demo kokoro naka ni, kare wa yasashi. Kochira wa Fred! Kaijuu ga suki! Saigo wa Gogo, watashi no shinyuu! Kanojo wa hayai yo!" (This is Wasabi. His face is a little scary, but in his heart, he's nice. This is Fred! He loves monsters! Last is Gogo, my best friend! She's really fast!)

Hiro watched as Honey Lemon introduced each member animatedly, doe-eyes training each of them with a sparkling gaze that made Fred want to bounce around, Wasabi melt, and Gogo punch the nearest wall.

"Domo," (Hi,) the toddler said simply, ducking his head a bit in a polite bow. Honey made a screeching noise in the back of her throat. Oh god this kid was so cute!

"So anyone gonna translate, or am I going to have to pull out a translator for this?" Gogo deadpanned, crossing her arms and leaning heavily on one leg.

"I s-said, n-nice to meet you," Hiro stuttered, catching everyone by surprise. Tadashi chuckled at the shared look of shock on his friends' faces.

"Hiro here is considered a genius," he snickered mirthfully. A swell of pride made him puff out his chest. "His present mental development is on par with a five-year old's."

"Woohoo! Child genius!" Fred cheered, arms flinging upwards and making the younger Hamada flinch in surprise. "Oops, sorry little dude, didn't mean to frighten you."

The toddler nodded his head in understanding, hands unclenching from Tadashi's shirt and encircling his brother's neck instead. Turning his attention away from the distracting array of… _unique_ characters in front of him, Hiro pressed his face into Tadashi's cheek and mumbled, "Baymax wa?" (What about Baymax?)

The elder's eyes lit up in remembrance. "Ah, sorry guys, I just remembered I came here for a reason. I'm gonna go ahead and show Hiro what I've been working on. Catch you guys later."

A chorus of goodbyes were thrown after the two brothers as Tadashi exited the shared lab and into his own personal work room. It was a lot quieter here, and he noted the way tension seemed to seep out of his baby brother's posture until Hiro's head was buried into the side of his neck, eyes greedily roving over every inch of his office.

"Baymax?" the toddler queried impatiently, hands tugging on the back of his older brother's cardigan.

Tadashi chuckled. "What do you say when you have a boo-boo?"

"I..tai…?" (Ow…?) Hiro asked hesitantly, eyes squinting suspiciously. Tadashi could almost see his bro's gears turning – working to decipher whether or not that was a trick question.

He laughed a little and nodded his head. "Very good-" the toddler's eyes lit up "-now say it in English for me?"

Hiro's brows scrunched in the center of his forehead for a few seconds as he tried to remember the word. "Ow?" he asked more than said.

A _beep_, and the whoosh of vinyl inflating filled the room, immediately garnering the child prodigy's attention. "Baymax!" he squealed happily once he saw who had emerged. It was like a dream come true for the child – all of those drawings and doodles had come to life and was now standing before his very eyes!

The bot stopped in front of the brothers and tilted his head to the side before waving in a circular motion. "Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. I was alerted to the need for medical attention when you said: 'ow'. I will scan you now. Scan complete. You seem to be in perfect health; I can deactivate if you say you are satisfied with your care."

"Hold on a second Baymax," Tadashi chuckled, shifting Hiro to his other side. "This is Hiro, my little brother."

Baymax turned to the smaller Hamada and blinked. "Hello Hiro, I am Baymax."

The toddler giggled, hugging Tadashi tightly around the neck and hiding his face shyly in his brother's shoulder. "Hi Baymax," he said softly. A yawn slipped out of the child.

"Alright bud," the elder said, bouncing Hiro a bit when his baby brother yawned and blinked sleepily. "What do you say we head on home and have a nap until Aunt Cass calls us for dinner?"

Hiro nodded eagerly, eyelids already drooping and fingers losing their grip. In a minute flat, he was out, making Tadashi shake his head and chuckle at the serious cuteness of it all. He turned to his AI – the one he had slaved _months_ over to get working.

"Baymax, Hiro is going to be your primary patient. Look after him in the case that I can't, alright?" he whispered almost sadly. He had no intention to leave his baby brother's side, but one never knew.

"Understood," his robot intoned. Tadashi smiled brightly.

"Alright then; I am satisfied with my care."

Baymax waddled back to his charging station and deflated with a hiss, leaving Tadashi to his thoughts. It felt like a weight had been lifted off the elder Hamada's shoulders. With this, at least he knew he was ensured.

Ensured that no matter what, Hiro would always be taken care of – regardless of what happened to Tadashi.

For now, the elder would spend as much time as he could with his precious, sweet little brother.

For now, he would love Hiro with everything he had.

For now.


	13. Handprint 03 - Unbelievable

The chapter in which Tadashi finds out one of the Trials and Tribulations of being an older sibling is really embarrassing. Otherwise named "that one time Hiro Hamada peed his pants".

Onwards!

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><p><strong>Handprint 03 - Unbelievable<strong>

**Human/Regular AU**

**(Kiddy!Hiro and Pre-Teen!Dashi)**

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><p>"I need to pee."<p>

"What!?" Tadashi exclaimed, looking at his brother's rosy cheeks and fidgeting legs. "You said you didn't need to when we left the house!"

"That was then and this is now! And right now, I. Need. To. Peeee!" Hiro whined, jumping slightly in place with each word.

The elder Hamada made a frustrated sound and took his sibling's hand. "Do you think you can hold it until we get back?"

Hiro shook his head negative.

"Then just- go do it in some bushes or something…" Tadashi said, grimacing.

The younger Hamada paused in his squirming and shot his brother a deadpan expression. "What bushes?"

Tadashi looked up and surveyed the area- and sure enough, they were still in San Fransokyo… A metropolis… With no greenery in sight…

"Ugh," the elder groaned, palm meeting his forehead. Okay, so no bushes. That just meant that they would have to borrow someone's bathroom.

"Alright, we'll go ask if we can use someone's bathroom. Hold it in until then, alright bud?" Tadashi sighed tiredly.

"Un," Hiro hummed, spare hand tugging down on his shirt. "But hurry up. I _reaaally_ need to go."

"I know, I know," Tadashi murmured, towing his brother across the crosswalk to a residential area where he knew the nice old people lived. Mrs. Matsuda lived in this area. She was a Lucky Cat café regular, so maybe she'd let them in.

Mind made up, Tadashi pulled his sibling along, trying to get there without physically dragging his brother across the ground.

"Which house was it again…?" the elder murmured to himself, eyes scanning the buildings as they passed them. He vaguely remembered that Mrs. Matsuda lived in a small blue house with a red door, but when every other building was painted with the same colour scheme, it was a little hard to distinguish which one was hers.

" 'Dashi, hurry! I don't think I can hold it anymore!" Hiro screeched, now doing what the brothers had named the "I-desperately-need-to-go-pee-or-else-you-know-what-will-happen" dance.

"A-aah! Nonono! Hold it in!" Tadashi yelled back, panicking now with the way Hiro's face was scrunching up and turning red in effort. There was no time to find Mrs. Matsuda's house now; any bathroom would do!

Rushing up the stairs to the house nearest to them, Tadashi rang the doorbell repeatedly, despite his guilty conscience in doing so. He had been taught better than this, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

After an agonizing thirty seconds, the door creaked open to reveal- "Mrs. Matsuda?" Tadashi croaked in surprise as the 80-year-old stepped up in a hot pink crop top and biking shorts.

"Tadashi! Hiro! How are you boys doing?" She said, wrinkles smooshing her eyes and cheeks when she smiled at them.

"G-good," Tadashi said hastily, peering past her into the house when Hiro hissed his name and yanked on his shirt sleeve. "Um, is it alright if we use your bathroom?"

The elderly lady took one look at Hiro and smiled understandingly, shuffling back and bringing the door with her to reveal the inside of her house. It was bathed in garish colours – from lime green to hot pink and back to neon yellow. All the vibrant hues immediately hurt Tadashi's eyes (like her outfit), but he would have to put up with it.

"Alright Hiro," he said, nudging his brother. Hiro didn't move from his spot, but instead stayed rooted to the ground, staring off into the distance.

Tadashi raised an eyebrow and elbowed his sibling in the arm. "C'mon knucklehead," he prompted jerking his head towards the open entryway. "Door's open."

The older Hamada paused when he saw a wet puddle forming around his brother's feet.

_Oh no… Don't tell me…!_ They had been so close, too!

"I don't need to go pee anymore," Hiro stated blankly, shifting uncomfortably in his too wet clothes.

Tadashi heaved a weary sigh and shook his head in disbelief.

"… _Unbelievable._"

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><p>Anyone who has been an older sibling figure (by at least a 2-4 year margin) knows this feel – and boy, let me tell you: it's embarrassing. Good luck to all you elder siblings out there! And to you younger ones: Stop making us stress! (Lol jk, I give you all smooches ^3^)<p> 


End file.
